Old School A Samcedes Series
by natadunn81
Summary: Alright, alright, alriiiiight! I'm back and feeling inspired to write some Samcedes love to make up up for that weak attempt at a Glee series finale. These are just some stories that have been trapped in my head for a few months but couldn't be freed due to real life, time constraints, and a laptop that passed on far too soon. Read, enjoy, and feedback is love!
1. Distant Lover

Chapter1- _Distant Lover_

"So how goes things in the world of Mercedes Jones, Diva Extraordinaire?" the deep voice intoned from the other end of the phone. Marvin Gaye sang softly in the background.

Mercedes lightly chuckled at the question before replying, "It's…everything I imagined it would be."

"…but…?" the caller prompted.

"But, nothing. I love what I'm doing, you know that."

She could feel the side eye coming through her phone before his voice reiterated the fact, " But that's not what I asked you, tho."

"Sam…" she warned.

"Mercedes…" he mocked her tone.

"…"

"I miss you too, babe." He filled in the silence for her.

"I'll never understand why you ask questions that you already know the answer to, Sam." Her tone was playfully scolding.

He smiled into the receiver, "Because I am a man whom loves confirmation, babe. Daily reminders that you miss me as much as I miss you."

"Mhmm, one of these days I may just say something different to surprise you."

He considered her response for a moment, "…nah, never gonna happen, babe. You love me and I love you. Them's the facts, ma'am."

Her laugh was full and robust through the phone receiver, " Thank you for that, bae. I needed that, especially after today."

Sam internally fist-pumped at his ability to make his woman laugh even when she didn't feel like it, before keying in on the latter part of her response.

"Want to tell me about it?"

"No, but thanks for asking. You've had a long day and are probably tir-"

"Mercedes." His tone brooked no argument. "You are my number priority right now. I'm never tired when it comes to you. Now, tell your Sammy what's got his baby so stressed today so he can fix it."

This. This was why she loved this man to no end. Mercedes knew for a fact that her man had to be exhausted. His day began at 5:30 every morning with a two mile jog, followed by a daily 45-minute workout at the local gym. After that, he showered, shaved, and headed over to local Lima campus for Ohio State University for six hours of classes as he worked towards completing his Master's Degree in business management. As if that wasn't enough, he then reported to McKinley High School of the Arts five days a week at 4:00pm sharp to volunteer with whichever glee club needed his help. Her man did not know the meaning of the word rest.

It had been six years since they last co-existed in the same space, and since that time, her star continued to rise in the entertainment industry as Sam figured out the life he wanted to live. His first order of business was to resign from his post as Glee Club instructor as he did not actually have a degree in teaching and enroll in Lima Community College five years ago an obtain his bachelor's in Graphic Design. Of course, he would never leave Mr. Schue totally hanging, so he dropped down to volunteer status in the meantime, helping out when needed. After a chance meeting with a rep from DC Comics during ComicCon in Atlanta three years ago, Sam has been part of the creative consultant team on the recent re-vamping of the Superman/WonderWoman series. Mercedes had always been so proud of him for believing in himself and achieving one of his life-long dreams to work for a major comics distributor, plus, she knew it made him truly happy.

As for their relationship, she realized that achieving her dream of stardom as well as finding true love did not have to be mutually exclusive. She made a special trip to her hometown of Lima nearly two years ago to face her greatest fear- to love Sam Evans fully and allow him to do the same for her. Asking Sam out on a dinner date -and being very clear that it was not as 'just friends', she laid her heart before him and he willingly accepted. The two had been nearly inseparable since then, well , at least in spirit. They hadn't quite gotten the logistics of their respective careers to match up. But, they were working on it. After six and a half years of non-stop headlining, touring, and creating two albums, Mercedes had spoken up and insisted on taking a break and allowing her music to sell itself. Sam was also doing his part in the relationship, finally deciding that he no longer wanted to live apart from his heart. He notified his landlord that he would not be renewing the lease on his townhome in the fall and was tying up loose ends in preparation to leave Lima, Ohio for the last time and join his lady on the West Coast. He was due for some sun, sand, and most importantly, extended time in the presence of his Mercedes. DC had made arrangements for him to cease his remote work from Lima and join their Los Angeles branch as a full time consultant. _Yes, God provides_ , Mercedes mused silently.

"Mercedes…" he sing-songed into the phone.

"Yes, baby?" she replied softly.

"You were gonna tell me about your day."

"Oh, it's nothing really. I had a meeting with the label today about the prior agreement for me to take some time to myself to relax and they are pushing for me crank out another album before doing so. 'Striking while the iron is hot', and all that. But, I'm tired babe and it feels like they're trying to backdoor me into another obligation. I don't want to seem like I'm ungrateful for all they've done for me over the last half-decade, but I also just want to be your woman for a while, not Mercedes Jones, Diva Extraordinaire."

"First of all, you will always be THE Mercedes Jones, no matter what. And you will always be extraordinary. But I get it. You've accomplished so much and I couldn't be happier or prouder about that fact. But, the fact remains that you deserve a break. You're like Beyonce, Aretha Franklin, and James Brown all rolled into one- the hardest working woman in showbiz."

She gasped in shock a his declaration, " Now, Sam-"

"I know, I know. You'd never put yourself in the category of such greatness, but I will. You're on your way, Miz Jones. And you already know what you're gonna do about your little problem."

She looked incredulously at the phone before her, " I do?"

Sam shook his head in the affirmative, knowing she couldn't see him, " Yep. And don't worry. Your manager is good at what she does, she'll handle breaking the news to the label and they will understand. After all, they wouldn't want to risk burning out their highest selling artist, would they? "

A small smile formed on her lips, she did in fact know what she would tell the label. She was just apprehensive about how her plea would be received.

"It's scary how intuitive you are sometimes, babe."

"You say 'scary' but I think you mean 'comforting'." He replied smoothly. "Now, enough of this talk, it stresses my baby out. Just believe things will work out how their supposed to okay babe?"

"Yes, baby."

"Good, now, can I please proceeds with the getting on of my mack with my lady? It's late, I'm about to hit repeat on this here Marvin Gaye classic, and you're going to fall even more in love with me."

Mercedes laughed fully at that, hearing the opening chords of her man's favorite tune from Mr. Gaye. "'Get your mack on'? Boy, what have I told you about hanging around with my dad? He is going to suck the youth right outta you."

Sam chuckled at that. "Whatev, that man is a genius when it comes to wooing a Jones woman. I'd be a fool not to listen to him. As a matter of fact…"

Sam hit the facetime option on his phone, smiling when Mercedes accepted the call, "Muuuuch better."

Mercedes eyed him suspiciously though the image on her phone. "What are you up to, Sam?"

He gave her a look of mock indignation, " Me? Up to? Can't I just want to see your beautiful face as I serenade you?" He didn't give her time to respond before increasing the volume playing through his bluetooth speaker. He spoke the words softly as Marvin gave it his all on the live recording.

 **Distant lover, lover**

 **So many miles away**

 **Heaven knows that I long for you** …

Sam's eyes were intense as he took in the contours of his lady's face as she returned his stare just as intensely. The connection they had was insane, despite the grainy wifi connection. Sam had always told himself he had to ease up on the intensity when it came to Mercedes, but his heart wasn't trying to hear that. Instead, he learned that Mercedes was just as intense with her love when she allowed herself the freedom. Marvin continued to lament about a faraway love, the words saying everything that Sam and Mercedes couldn't put into words.

… **Distant lover**

 **You should think about me**

 **And say a prayer for me…**

Mercedes wanted so badly to close her eyes against the tears that burned at the back of her eyes, but she couldn't force herself to look away from Sam. For what it was worth, Sam was having the same struggle. He didn't think it possible to miss someone so much, but he knew they were almost were there. In a few months' time, he would be able to look into the eyes of his lady from a few inches away instead of a few thousand miles between them. Sam felt himself getting particularly choked up as Mr. Gaye's voice hit a particularly vulnerable crescendo, finally giving in to the urge to close his eyes against the tears. Mercedes let lose a few of her own tears, feeling her heart damn near fill to bursting with love for this man who didn't mind being vulnerable in front of her. As she so often did, she decided to sing back to him…

 **As I reminisce, oh baby**

 **Through our joyful summer together**

 **The promises we made**

 **All the daily letters**

They continued this back and forth until the soulful lament faded into the background. Yes, it sometimes hurt more than anything else, but they wouldn't trade it for the world. This was them, their love. Clearing his throat, Sam managed to crack a small smile.

"I love you, Mercedes Jones. And I can't wait to be with you."

Mercedes voice hitched, not because of his declaration, but she felt the same about him. She glanced at the clock, shocked to see that it was nearly 11pm, which meant that it was almost 2am in Lima.

"Baby," her voice was as smooth as velvet. "It's late there and I know you have a full day ahead of you." Though honestly, she did not want to end their call.

Sam sighed as he, too, glanced at the clock. "I know. I don't want to stop talking to you, though."

Her smile was warm as she looked at him, "Me either. But, you should rest, okay? I love you."

He returned the smile in kind, knowing she was right, as usual. "Alright, alright. I'll go as soon as you tell me you're feeling better."

She couldn't stop the full blown smile from spreading across her face, "I always feel better after seeing my baby. Go to sleep, Sam."

Nodding his head in agreement, he blew her a soft kiss before disconnecting the call.

 ***So this is just a warm-up for me. It's been a minute since I've written anything. I finally got another computer and my Samcedes muse is alive and well, mostly out of need to correct the foolishment of that series finale. But I plan to make this a series until my muse dries up or takes me in another direction. Hope y'all enjoyed**


	2. Simply Beautiful

Chapter 2- Simply Beautiful

 _ **If I gave you my love**_

 _ **I tell you what I'd do**_

 _ **I'd expect a whole lot of love out of you…**_

 _"You hear that, son? You hear the aching and love in that man's voice? " The older gentleman scrunched his face in mock pain. "THAT is what true yearning sounds like. Wooh!"_

 _Sam chuckled at the animated expression on his companion's face, "I hear ya, Mr. Jones."_

 _"Nah, you don't hear me. Sam listen… listen to the emotion not only in this man's voice, but even in the instruments of the song. That guitar is crying, son."_

 _Michael Jones cut an imposing figure, standing a proud 6'5" and a respectable 275 pounds of former college football muscle. His current profession as one of Ohio's best dentists belied his visage. It was rumored that when it came to his profession, he had a touch as gentle as a butterfly's kiss. The man in question stood at his believed back yard grill, trying to school the young blond before him on the wonderment that was Al Green- the Reverend, to some-in the song that was currently wafting across the expansive backyard. Reaching for the remote, he aimed it in the general direction of the sound system's source component. The iPod lit up as the song began to replay._

 _Sam sat back in his lounger, closing his eyes and resting his clasped hands behind his head. He slowed his breathing and focused his hearing, finally able to pick up on the small nuances Mr. Jones had been pointing out to him._

 _ **What about the way you love me?**_

 _ **And the way squeeze me?**_

 _ **Simply beautiful**_

 _ **Yeah, beautiful**_

 _ **When you get right down to it**_

 _ **(baby… baby…)**_

 _There! Right there. Sam couldn't quite name or pinpoint the exact technique Mr. Green was using, but he could feel the note down to his bones.' So this is what he's been talking about all these months', Sam mused silently. He continued to sway his head back and forth as the brief guitar solo kicked in, tightening his chest with its pain. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel a difference in the sun's warmth as someone stepped into his light. Peeking one eye open, a sly grin cut across his face as he saw Mercedes standing before him, one hand on her hip as she smirked down at him._

 _"You're doing a mighty fine impression of Stevie Wonder, with all that swaying back and forth."_

 _He opened both eyes to look at her fully, " Ha. Ha, Jones. For your info, your father and I were discussing the subtle nuances of the great Reverend Al Green. Why don't you have a sit-down? You might learn something." Sam sassed back._

 _Michael Jones's mock-grimace was back in full effect at hearing the senseless challenge from the blond. 'Boy's been dating baby girl for two months and don't even know he about to get schooled'. He shook his head at the foolish boy. What Sam should have realized is that he has been teaching Mercedes abut the finer points of old school RnB since she was six months old. Add to that, baby girl was blessed with a voice straight from the hands of God Himself… the girl lived and breathed soul. He chanced a quick glance to his steaks on the grill, seeing that they still had a few minutes to cook before turning, he sat down the grilling utensils and took a seat in his lounger. This was going to be good._

 _Mercedes smirk grew as she looked at her mother across the patio, "Mama, can you bring Sam daddy's guitar? Maybe he held me learn something about the nuances of Al Green."_

 _Teresa Jones handed Sam the acoustic guitar that he had become familiar with over the course of the summer and his frequent visits to the Jones household. She held her laughter in check as she watched the young man sit up straighter and strum the strings lightly._

 _Mercedes nodded to her father, " Daddy, if you could…?"_

 _Her father shook his head again as he blindly aimed the remote again and hit the repeat button._

 _"Sam, if you could be so kind as to play along…while I see if I can learn something about soul from you."_

 _She made the request innocently enough, which was a red flag to Sam. Shaking his head at himself, he closed his eyes and began to play along with the track._

 _ **If I gave you my love…**_

 _ **I tell you what I'd do**_

 _ **I'd expect a whole lot of love of you**_

 _His playing faltered ever so slightly as his eyes popped open. Sure, he'd heard Mercedes sing plenty of times in Glee club or even when she was playing around with Artie or Santana, but this… this was on a whole 'nother level. He was a damn fool if he thought Mercedes Jones needed to learn anything from anyone about infusing feeling into her singing. It was as if her voice took the lyric, undressed it, and laid it bare for all to hear. He glanced to his right briefly, seeing the knowing looks on the Jones' faces as they held one another and swayed to the music._

 _ **You've got to be good to me**_

 _ **I'm gonna be good to you…**_

 _ **There's a whole lotta things**_

 _ **You and I could do**_

 _He regained his composure soon enough, putting his all into making the guitar sing and weep. Mercedes was looking directly into his eyes as she continued to serenade him, her eyes darkening. He focused on her beautiful, almond-shaped eyes of chestnut, effectively forgetting that anyone besides he and Mercedes existed in that moment._

 _ **Sometime, when you're feeling low**_

 _ **All you gotta do is call me**_

 _ **Simply beautiful**_

 _ **(yeah , baby…yeah)**_

 _ **(ooh baby)**_

 _The music played on and faded out as their gazes remained locked. Seeing that the two teens were getting caught up in the magic that was Al Green, Mr. Jones cleared his throat. Loudly._

 _"That was uh… real good, baby girl. Wasn't it, Sammy boy?"_

 _"…"_

 _Mr. Jones infused a little more bass in his voice, seeing that the teen was still lost in Mercedes-land._

 _"I said,_ _ **wasn't. it**_ _. Sam?"_

 _Sensing that he needed to respond, Sam shook himself. "U-uh… ye-yeah." His ears reddened slightly at the crack in voice. Putting the guitar down, he quickly cleared his throat and tried again. "Sir, yes, sir."_

 _His eyes strayed momentarily from his girlfriend and he tried miserably to make eye contact with her father. For her part, Mercedes glared at her father for trying to scare her boyfriend. He started this, with all that talk of old school this and old school that. Mrs. Jones shook her head at her husband's tactics. Clearly, he had to have known this would happen. After all, some sweet Al Green crooning is how he got her to agree to their first date. She stood, putting a calming hand to his forearm._

 _"Come on, honey. Those steaks are ready to come off the grill. Mercedes, why don't you and Sam go grab the salad and plates out of the kitchen, baby?"_

 _"Yes, ma'am," Mercedes responded, taking Sam by the hand and pulling him up from his seat._

 _Mr. Jones's face scrunched up in confusion, "What she need to take him for?"_

 _"Hush, Michael," she shushed him. "Stop trying to scare that boy. We like him, remember?"_

 _Feeling chastised, he made one last lame attempt. "But did you see the way he was looking at baby girl? I liked him better when he wasn't aware of his attraction to her and they were just friends."_

 _He pouted. This grown ass man just pouted at her._

 _Teresa took his face into her hands, "Serves you right. You were the one who insisted on schooling Sam on the benefits of old school music in life and relationships."_

 _"I was only trying to do my civic duty to spread all this knowledge I got!"_

 _Teresa laughed at her husband, giving him a hot kiss to his puckered lips. "Come an an' turn this meat, boy."_

 _Jones' household kitchen…_

 _Mercedes rolled her eyes at her boyfriend as he looked over his shoulder again, " Sam, didn't I tell you he wasn't coming in here? Calm. Down."_

 _Sam wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans, "You didn't see the way he looked at me, Cedes. Like he wanted to put me on the grill alongside those steaks. I don't brown, Cedes, I burn! I'll burn on that grill!"_

 _He was so dramatic. Like, all the time. Mercedes shook her head as she went about her business._

 _"Fine, you can stand there and stare at my daddy out the window, hoping that he doesn't charbroil you…or you could enjoy this privacy that we have in here."_

 _Hello. That got his attention._

 _Sam raised an intrigued eyebrow as he turned to face his girlfriend. She was regarding him with a look that was somewhere between innocent and vixen, and he suddenly forgot all about the former linebacker whom has an affinity for pulling teeth._

 _"My, my, Miz Jones. Aren't you being naughty?" He grinned._

 _"Not yet."_

 _She replied mere seconds before pulling him to her by his shirt collar._

 _"Can I just tell you how sexy you looked playing that guitar, biting your lip like you did?" Her voice was a breathy moan._

 _Sam's own voice was an octave lower and just a winded in response, "If it was sexy, it's only cause your singing was putting some pretty X-rated thoughts in my mind."_

 _The time for talking was over, as they met one another halfway in a spine-tingling kiss. Mercedes moaned as she threaded her hair through his blond locks. Sam, did his best to swallow her sweet mewls of pleasure as his hands traveled down her sides to rest dangerously low on her hips. His hips jerked forward involuntary as Mercedes did that thing to his upper lip that drove him wild with her teeth and tongue. His hands reacted, as well, coming around to squeeze that ass in response. He briefly wondered if her parents could see through the screened in back door, contemplating grasping her ass fully and hoisting her up on the counter top. As Mercedes nibbled on his bottom lip while playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, he decided he didn't give a damn if they could. Just as he was about to get himself a handful of Mercedes-_

 _"It don't take that long to get no damn salad and plates!"_

 _Whatever party was going on in his pants quickly died down upon hearing the booming voice of Mercedes' dad come through the kitchen window._

Sam surfaced from his sleep gradually, smiling at his memory of the dream. The summer of 2011. _Correction: one of the best summers of my life_. He relaxed in his bed once more, debating on whether to get up immediately or lay there until the alarm went off. Deciding on the latter, he finally allowed himself to focus on the present. _Simply Beautiful_ played softly through the speakers near his bedside. Reaching for his phone, he hummed along to the tune as he fired off a text. Once that was done, he hopped out of bed and started his day.

 _Today was gonna be a great day!_

 _Three hours later, 8am Pacific Time- Los Angeles_

Mercedes woke from the best sleep she'd had in months. Her phone beeped again indicating a message was waiting. Humming along to the softly song playing through her bedroom's surround sound, she reached for and unlocked her screen. Her smile was bright as she read the message.

 **"If I gave you my love…xoxo** "

It was only then that she realized she, too, was humming along to _Simply Beau_ tiful.


	3. If Only for One Night

Chapter 3- If Only For One Night

"I CANNOT tell you how excited I am to see her!"

Although externally Sam was all smiles and head nods to Kurt's outburst- the third in the last 10 minutes' time, mind you- internally, he was wishing that an artistically-designed giant condor would swoop down and take his friend away.

"I knoowwww! It feels like it's been ages since we last saw her, Santana, and Britt!"

Oh, yeah. He wished the mate of said condor would also swoop down and take Blaine away, also.

Smiling tightly, Sam shifted his weight from foot to foot, straining his neck to see over the heads of the mass of people migrating throughout the airport. Kurt and Blaine continued to wax poetic about how much they missed Mercedes and 'Brittana', while Sam did his best not allow his frustration take away the excitement of this moment. He could barely contain himself when Mercedes called last week and advised that she and her crew would be in town for a brief charity engagement before returning to L.A. 24 hours later. In his mind, he'd already thought of how they could take advantage of that much time together in the same airspace- minus the sex.

However, in his moment of utter delight at the prospect, he'd clearly lost his damn mind. Why else would he have told Blaine about the anticipated joy of seeing his lady in person for the first time in nearly eight months? Clearly, had he been sane, he would realized what a monumental fucking mistake that was. But then again, how was he to know that Blaine would share in his enthusiasm and tell Kurt, who in turn would book the next available flight to Lima to see his bestie?

 _Because they tell each other everything, moron._

Oh, yeah. That.

Sam wanted nothing more than to drive the airport alone. Then wait for his girlfriend to arrive. Again alone. Then, upon seeing her run towards him in slow-motion like every romantic movie ever, they would crash into one another and kiss slow...and easy...oh, yeah, and be. fucking. alone. But, as fate or karma or just dumb luck would have it, he instead had the pleasure of spending twenty minutes driving himself and guests to the airport and the last thirty minutes anxiously waiting for the flight to arrive. It took nearly everything in him not to hit the accelerator and take a diving roll out of the car as it crashed into a field of soft , plush lilies. They _were_ his friends, after all. He'd never wish them any harm. He just really, really, really, really wanted to do this in private.

It was exasperating enough to have the two storm his townhome upon their arrival, insiting that the residence be cleaned- although he's spent the previous day cleaning the plae from top to bottom. He nearly lost his cool when Kurt insisted he shave his neatly trimmed beard and mustache.

 _"Sam! You have to shave it! Mercedes will think she's kissing some wildman. Is that what you want for our 'Cedes, huh? Wildman kisses?"_

 _"Okay. First of all, Kurt, it's not some 'wildman beard'. I'll have you know that it tool me weeks to grow this in and have it neatly trimmed and lined up at the barber. Besides,_ _ **my**_ _'Cedes has seen it and can't wait to see how it feels up close. " His look was downright lecherous at the comment. "So... I'm good, thanks."_

What he neglected to tell Kurt was that Mercedes was the inspiration for growing the beard after one particularly interesting conversation one night. _Nah, he'd take that information to his grave._ He exited his brief reverie, resorting to his long forgotten anxious tic of drumming his fingertips across his thigh. Sam craned his neck once more in search of a certain diva. Kurt took note of this action, nearly squealing with delight.

He tugged on Blaine's arm, "Oh, babe,look him! This is just the most romantic thing ever!"

Blaine opened his mouth to reply-

"What it do, bitches?! Santana Lopez is in the house!"

Sam's heartbeat quickened. If Santana was near, that meant-

"No pictures please. I've heard cameras steal a little it of your soul everytime they photograph you."

 _Ah, Brittany. Not exactly who I was hoping._

It took several minutes for them to locate their friends, despite being able to hear them. The throng of patrons at the airport seemed to part to allow the two expressive women to pass through unobstructed. They literally glowed as they walked through the airport. Brittany was the first to spot her trio of friends and ran the rest of the way to meet them, crashing into them in a spirited group hug.

"Fami-leeee! I'm so glad to see you guys! Kurt, I could hear your unicorn song the second i stepped off the plane. It's how we were able to find you."

Kurt was too amped to see his eclectic friend to take offense. _That's just Brittany._

"I missed you too, Britt." He shook his head as he embraced the effervescent blonde.

Santana didn't so much walk as she sauntered up to the group. "Trouty and gays. I have returned to the land of my humble beginnings. You may now embrace me in gratitude." She opened her arms, accepting the group hug from her friends.

Noticing that Sam seemed somewhat distracted, she took advantage of her close proximity to whisper in his ear.

"She's still at the baggage claim, 'waiting' for a bag I'm sure she didn't bring. Me and Britt will keep these two busy while you go help her find it."

Sam smiled from ear to ear. Never had he been happier to see his latina friend. He whispered his thanks before slipping away from the group and heading to where his heart was.

...

Mercedes stood at the baggage claim area, smirking as she felt Sam's arrival. She could always tell when he was near in the quickening of her heartbeat and wildly fluttering butterflies in her stomach. She turned slowly to face him...

...and Sam was certain that all respiration from his being ceased. She was more beautiful than he remembered and he quickly noted that he needed to change his cellular provider, because facetime didn't do her any justice.

Mercedes stood a mere five feet from him, yet he couldn't remember how to command his feet to close the offending space between them. He stood there, staring at her in awe. She was a vision in her black skinny jeans, cute little size six Jordan's , and Air Jordan t-shirt. To most, she would appear super casual, but the way she carried herself to it to a whole 'nother level.

Mercedes had intended to be cool, calm, and collected upon seeing Sam. But her body obviously had other plans. She had to literally bite her bottom lip to keep her jaw form dropping and probably embarrassing herself at the sight of her beau. She had no earthly idea how it was humanly possible, but the man made a pedestrian black v-neck shirt, dark denim jeans, and black Converse look like walking sex. Her eyes traveled the distance from his feet to stop at his eyes. Those damn green eyes that had gotten her into more than trouble than she cared to remember stared at her with such intensity that it made her breathing catch.

"'Cedes." His voice wavered as he spoke her name, almost in a whisper. He struggled to keep his emotions in check.

Mercedes was having her own troubles, a single tear sliding down her face as she closed her eyes and nodded her head. Talking was damn near impossible at this moment.

Seeing that errant tear was all it took to get Sam's feet moving, eating up the space between them and enveloping Mercedes in a consuming hug. No words were shared between them as they just allowed this moment to wash over them, taking turns breathing in one another's scent just to make sure this was really happening.

They remained in the intimate embrace for nearly five minutes before Mercedes pulled away slightly to look into his eyes. More unshed tears threatened to spill as she gave him a watery smile. He returned her smile with one of his own. She opened and closed her mouth twice yet no sound came. Instead, she used her hands at the nape of his neck to urge him forward. Their mouths met slowly, the kiss growing in intensity as they took their time. Sam's hand moved to cradle her head gently as he drew her deeper into the kiss, using every ounce of oxygen in his body before separating from her. The separation lasted only long enough to take a sip of air before resuming. Mercedes was nearly overwhelmed with the kiss but gave just as good as she got. Just when the kiss began to venture into the arena of x-rated, the flash from a nearby camera went off.

For what it was worthm the two merely decreased the intensity of the kiss until they were just soft pecks on the mouth, eventually ended the kiss all together and resting their foreheads together. Mercedes continued tease the hair at his nape as she looked into his eyes, a slight smirk on her lips.

"Damn. I thought I left the papparazzi in L.A."

 _Several hours later..._

Mercedes' performance went off without a hitch, which translated into thousands of dollars being donated at the _Autism Speaks_ charity event. From the moment Santana opened for her to Brittany's amazing dance moves, to her final number, the event was magical from beginning to end. Then again, that might have something to do with the fine ass blond Adonis that spent the entire night staring at her. Being able to do her thing with Sam watching seemed to elevate her performance. There was an underlying tension that added that something extra to her show.

At the moment, she and her entourage of friends were winding down at KISS nightclub in the neighboring town of Findlay, Ohio. She missed being in the presence of her friends, and in the arms of her man. Sam hadn't separatd from her since they entered the establishment, shooting what she was sure were some pretty menacing glares to male clubbers that allowed their eyes to venture too long her direction.

"Are you trying to kill me baby?" His breath fanned her face as he whispered into her ear from behind, his ever-present hand squeeing her hips as he spoke.

Winding her hand behind her to grasp his hair, she nuzzeled her face against the soft hairs of his beard, "Never. Have I told you how sexy this facial hair is to me?"

Sam smiled as she turned in his arms to fully nuzzle her face against his.

"Because it is driving me insane."

He shuddered at her breathy tone, his hands ghtening around her waist of her own accord.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. Crazy enough that I'm suddenly tired and ready to go home." The look she gave was hot enough to melt steel. "Now."

Although Sam knew the night wouldn't end up with them all hot, sweaty, and sated from taking and giving themselves to one another until the sun rose, his pants tightened uncomfrtably. He would never pass up an opportuity to have one on one time with Mercedes. JUst as he would turn them to leave, Blaine damn near jumped onto his back.

 _The fuck?! Is he drunk?_

"Sammy! Who knew this amazing club was only thirty minutes from boring ass Lima?" His unfocused eyes sparkled in the light.

 _Drunk? Nah. Wasted? Hells yes._

Sam looked over to the dance floor whee Kurt was doing his level best to keep up with the dancing inferno known as Brittany and Santana. Sam turned slightly to face Mercedes.

"I'l be right back, babe." He couldn't stop himself from kissing her plump lips. He did, however, stop is progress to the dancefloor to face intoxicated friend. "Blaine. Stay here with 'Cedes for me, okay?"

Blaine thrust two thumbs up in his face, smiling drunkenly and whispering loudly," No worries. I'll protect her. No dicks will get near her unless it's a gay dick."

Not particular encouraged by that, Sam shook his head before sprinting onto the dance floor and notifying his friends that it as time to go, feigning tiredness. Santana took one look at Sam, then at Mercedes who looked at him like he hung the fucking moon and stars in the night sky.

She gave him a knowing smirk, "Yeah, I'll bet you're tired and can't wait to hop into bed."

Although Sam's ears were red from embarassment, he returned a smirk of his own as he saw the way Brittany was grinding up on Santana, "Yeah, about as tired as Britt seems to be."

Santana chuckled at that because, what else could she do? When the man was right, he was right.

It tool some maneuvering, but ten minutes later, the friends were all iled back up into the suburban limo and en route to Lima. Thirty-five minutes later, the SUV pulled up to the Westin Hotel. Santana and Brittany somehow convinced Kurt and Blaine that it would be best to share their double-bed suite as opposed to crashing to Kurt's childhood home and waking his parents at 2am. Sam didn't miss the wink Santana threw in his and Mercedes' direction.

"That should eliminate about twenty minutes from your trip. You guys make sure to get plenty of _rest_ , okay. Flight leaves at 10am, Mercedes."

"Bye,'Tana!" Mercedes replied as she laughed, nudging her firend out of the vehicle.

 _20 minutes later..._

Sam wasn't sure what happened between telling the driver good night and his bedroom, but he was currently as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. He sat at the foot of his bed as Mercedes washed off her make-up and completed her nightly ritual. Just as he stood and removed his shirt he heard her sharp intake of breath. Pulling the shirt completely over his head, Sam met her intense stare. His pants tightened for the hundredth time that night.

 _Fuck._

"FaceTime is a damn lie and the truth ain't in'em. Cause they sure didn't show me how good your body looks."

Sam blushed at the direct comment, " I could say the same thing."

Mercedes stood before him in a pair of boy shorts and his old McKinley High practice jersey. She looked so sexy that Sam was sure his head would pop off his shoulders and float away from the blood loss. He licked his lips as she closed the distance between them and pulled him into a blazing kiss. Soon enough she was backing him up until his knees buckled against the bed and he wound up in a sitting position. Without breaking contact, Mercedes straddled him lap. Her kisses were making him drunk. Like, literally turning his brain to mush.

Mercedes gave him one last, sensual kiss before surfacing for air, " Do you know the other reason I came back to Lima, babe?"

Sam was too far gone to respond. He dumbly shook his head.

"Because I couldn't wait another month to have you near me. I know we said we'd wait until everything was final to see one another, but I couldn't wait. So, when I found out I could simultaneously see you and help out an amazing charity? I believe Brittany would call tha a double rainbow." She beamed, proud of herself.

Of course, Sam heard everything she was saying, however, his eyes were forcused solely on her inviting lips which were only inches away from his own. "That's my baby. Beauty brains."

They continued to kiss and re-familiarize themselves with the likes and dislikes of the other when Sam slowly ended their intense make-out session. He opened his eyes and mouth to speak and had to bite his lip to quell the growl that threatened to escape as he took in how utterly wrecked Mercedes looked. An knowing that it was he that did that to her? He nearly came in his pants from the thought. He tightly shut his eyes as Mercedes caressed his face.

Feeling him tap her thigh lightly and knowng he needed a moment to gather his thoughts, Mercedes climbed off his lap and sat beside him on the bed. She placed her hand gently atop his.

"You know, when DC Comics told me a few months ago that they were no longer sure if they would have the position for me in L.A., it messed me up in the head," his voice sounded strained as he fought to keep the emotion in checl. His eyes remained closed as he took another breath. "But, then I remembered what you told me after I called you rantin' and ravin' about it. You said..."

She clasped his hand tighter, smiling as she repeated her words from several months ago, "Have faith baby. God has brought us too far to leave us. Just believe."

The finished the quote together. Sam finally opended his eyes and Mercedes realized she would probably never get used to they way his stares took her breath away.

"Well, I believed, baby. And not only did DC have a position for me, but I have more creative control and and an even bigger salary. Thank you for reminding me to keep holding on, babe." Fresh unshed tears shone in his eyes as he leaned forward to capture her lips in a kiss. The kiss in question ended much too soon for Mercedes' liking as Sam stood to his feet. Turning to she the adorably cute pout of his girlfriend, Sam placed a chaste kiss to her lips.

"Please don't pout, baby. You know it breaks my heart." He joked.

"Then come back here and fix It, Evans."

Sam bit his lip as he entertained her challenge, " AS temptinh as that sounds, I want to do something else."

Mercedes looked at him as if he were crazy, although she had to admit he'd piqued her interest. She watched as he picked up his phone and unlocked he screen. Several seconds later, she could hear the opening notes of a favorite song wafting from the speakers in the room. She smiled as Sam placed his phone down and held out a hand to her in invitation. Wordlessly, she accepted his request to dance, wrapping herself deeply in his embrace as he sang along to the song...

 _ **Let me hold you tight**_  
 _ **If only for one night**_  
 _ **Let me keep you near**_  
 _ **To ease away your fear**_  
 _ **It would be so nice**_  
 _ **If only for one night**_

 _ **I won't tell a soul**_  
 _ **No one has to know**_  
 _ **If you want to be totally discreet**_  
 _ **I'll be at your side**_  
 _ **If only for one night**_

Although he knew his voice wasn't as smooth or swoon-worthy as the great Luther Vandross, Sam serenaded his lady as he used a finger to her chin to bring her gaze up to meet his own.

 _ **Your eyes say things i never hear from you**_  
 _ **And my knees are shakin too**_  
 _ **But I'm willin to go thru**_  
 _ **I must be crazy**_  
 _ **Standin in this place**_  
 _ **But I'm feeling no disgrace**_

 _ **For asking**_

Mercedes joined him in singing, and they swayed as one as they stared deeply into the other's eyes and sang along. His dulcet tones caressed her soul as his hands mimicked the action on her body.

 _ **Let me hold you tight**_  
 _ **If only for one night**_  
 _ **Let me keep you near**_  
 _ **To ease away your fear**_  
 _ **It would be so nice**_  
 _ **If only for one night**_

 _ **I tell you what i need is**_  
 _ **One night, one night oh (and oh, oh)**_  
 _ **What i need is**_  
 _ **One night, one night**_  
 _ **Of your love, of you love, of your lovin ooh**_  
 _ **I'm asking**_

 _ **Let me take you home**_  
 _ **To keep you safe and warm**_  
 _ **Till the early dawn**_  
 _ **Warms up to the sun**_  
 _ **It would be so nice if only for one night**_

 _ **If only for one night**_  
 _ **If only for one night**_  
 _ **If only for one night, night, night, yeah one night**_  
 _ **If only for one, night...**_


	4. Call Me

*Four chapters in and I just realize I didn't do the whole disclaimer schtick. Glee and it's characters do not belong to me (except, in my heart they really do), nor do the any of the songs used in this story. There, That should cover it. Now, on to the reading. This is a short one, blame my muse, for it flew away too soon.

Now without further adieu...

 **Chapter 4- Call me**

Three hours and fifty minutes.

That was how long it took Sam to lament about leaving behind the life he had he had built for himself in Lima, Ohio. It also just so happened to be exactly how long it took for his flight to land at LAX. After that, for some reason he couldn't wipe the goofy smile from his face. He currently stood at the baggage claim awaiting his luggage, his left hand over his left jeans pocket.

As he waited for his bags to arrive on the carousel, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. _That's ridiculous, Sam. Noone knows you here,_ he chastised himself. Shaking head, he pulled his cap lower. However, the feeling was back in full force. Attempting to discreetly glance around him, Sam met the full on stare of a group of teen girls. He diverted his gaze immediately, suddenly freaked out.

"Ex-excuse me? You're him, aren't you?" One of the teens asked.

 _Are they talking to me?_ He looked around to be certain.

"I told you guys it wasn't him." Another of the girls offered.

Sam could almost see the collective slumping of shoulders as the girls began to turn. He cleared his throat and asked clearly, "Who do you think I am?"

The girls stopped immediately, the one who'd questioned him initially stepping forward.

"The guy that was kissing Mercedes Jones in Ohio." she pulled her phone out, swiping across the screen a few times before turning the phone to show him the image. "This guy."

Feeling his ears and cheeks blush uncontrollably, Sam shook his head. "Yeah, that's me." _Damned paparazzi_.

Sam thought his eardrums would surely burst from the high pitched squealing that followed. He could see that girls practically swooning before him.

"Are- are you guys okay?"

"We are MORE than okay. Can we take a pic with you."

Sam was quiet for a moment. _This is so weird._

"Sure."

The word had no sooner left his mouth before he was swarmed by the group, multiple phones appearing as the girls took simultaneous selfie and group pics with him. He attempted to smile but has no idea which angle they were getting.

"Thanks!"

Just as quickly as it happened, the group began to disperse, talking amongst themselves.

".. he's so hot!"

"..heard he was a model before."

" They are so cute together!"

"Do you think he sings, too?"

Just as the group would leave him completely, one of the young ladies turned to him, "You and Mercedes are soooo OTP! Give her our love!" And just like that, they were gone.

 _Did that just really happen? What the hell is OTP?_ Returning his focus to the task at hand, his finger absentmindedly rubbed back and forth of the hard metal object in said pocket. Smiling to himself, he slid his hand in the pocket and felt the cool metal against his skin, remembering the moment he received the item, hearing the soft strains of Aretha Franklin filter through his subconscious mind.

 _ **I love you ( I love you)**_

 _ **An' I love you ( I love you)**_

 _ **And I love you too (and love you)**_

 _ **Baby will you call me the moment you get there**_?

 _Sam's pout was downright sad. Pathetic, really. Mercedes glanced to her right and would have laughed aloud at the sight of her boyfriend if she weren't as equally devastated. Sighing heavily, she turned to him and took both of his hands in her own. His focus was drawn from the Lima sunrise to her beautiful brown eyes, his frown transforming to a sad smile._

 _"Babe, we knew this would be a brief visit…I just didn't know it would be this hard to say goodbye to you again-" her words were cut short by the sharp look he gave her. " Sorry. We said we would never say goodbye to one another again, it's just… til we see each other again." She chuckled weakly, sniffling to hold the tears at bay._

 _ **Hey, baby um-hum**_

 _ **And I love you ( I love you)**_

 _ **And I love you too (I love you)**_

 _ **And I love you (and I love you)**_

 _ **Baby will you**_

 _ **(Call me) call me (the moment) the moment**_

 _ **(you get there) you get there? Yeah**_

 _ **Yeeeeaaah, bab-bay-a-yea-**_ ** _yea_**

 _Sam wanted to wail aloud at the pain clawing at his heart. He raised their clasped hands to his lips and gently kissed hers._

 _"Just one more month, right?"_

 _She nodded her affirmation, her throat not allowing words any passage at the moment._

 _ **My dearest, my dearest of all darling (ah-ooo)**_

 _ **I know, I know, I know**_

 _ **I know we've got to part**_

 _ **(ah-ooo)**_

 _ **Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby**_

 _Sniffling himself, "I mean, what's another month? We've waited nearly six and a half years for this, right?" Sam aimed for levity, but it fell way short. "We got this, babe. Before you know it, I'll be out in L.A. getting on your nerves because I forgot to let the toilet seat down."_

 _Mercedes' chuckle was genuine, remembering the disagreements they'd had over that very issue while living together in New York. She couldn't wait._

 _Sam smiled to himself, "There it is. There's my beautiful smile." He leaned forward to capture her lips in a kiss when the obnoxious honking of a car horn sounded._

 _"Yo, lovahs! We got us a flight to catch and I must needs to leave this town immediately. I'm suddenly remembering why I was in such a hurry to get the hell out of here after graduation." Santana yelled out the passenger window of the townecar. The driver stood just as stoically near the rear door as he did when he assisted Mercedes out of the vehicle more than fifteen minutes ago, a small cringe appearing at the rudeness of the Latina._

 _"Girl!" Mercedes scolded, shaking her head. She returned her stare to the man before her. "I'm sorry baby, but she's right."_

 _Shaking his head, "I know. As annoying as that fact is."_

 _Mercedes pulled him closer by the pockets of his jeans and he grunted slightly when their bodies softly collided. She kissed him then. Slowly. Surely. With purpose. Sam could feel his consciousness begin to float away as he lost himself in the kiss. His hands wrapped around her waist of their own accord, pulling her impossibly closer. Just as he went to deepen the kiss, he felt her fingers moving round the inside of his jeans pocket._

 _He spoke against her lips, "You sure you wanna do that, babe? We are in public, after all."_

 _She smiled against his lips, "More sure that anything else in my life."_

 _She pulled away from the kiss and his body slowly, her smile suddenly shy. Sam was momentarily confused by her actions until he noticed she was looking at him expectantly, occasionally glancing to his right pocket. Sam rubbed his hand across said pocket, feeling a foreign object that he know wasn't there before. Reaching is hand into his pocket he withdrew a silver key._

 _"I figure you should have a key for your home. Right?"_

 _Sam may be a lot of things, but a dummy he is not. He pieced things together pretty quickly from there._

 _"A-are you sure?" He asked shakily._

 _"Sam. My home is your home._ ** _Our_** _home. Yes, I'm sure."_

 _He had the strongest urge to kiss her then , so he decided to go with the feeling. Mercedes was almost overwhelmed by the kiss, breaking away to laugh loudly when he picked her up and spun her around._

 _"I love you, Mercedes Jones. With everything I have in me."_

 _ **Oh-oh-oh-oh, call me**_

 _ **(call me) call me the hour**_

 _ **(the hour) Call me the minute (the minute)**_

 _ **The second you get there…**_

That was nearly a month ago and Sam was now in the City of Angels, drawing closer to his love. He tapped the key in his pocket lightly, more to assure himself that it was really there than anything else. He was almost home.

30 minutes later…

Sam tipped the driver generously, even though the man tried to explain to him for the third time that his fee was paid in full and with gratuity by Mercedes' record company. That he would have gladly waited all day at the airport for Sam to arrive. Honestly, Sam was so damn ecstatic to be mere feet away from his new home, that the man's words fell on deaf ears. Taking his bags from the trunk of the car, Sam excitedly pulled them behind him and he made short work of the space between the curb and the front door of the condo that would be his home. The driver shook his head at the enthusiasm that was literally pouring off the young blond. _Young love_ , he thought.

Sam dropped the bag from his hand as he reached into his pocket for what was literally the key to his future. Giving it a kiss for good luck, he placed it in the lock and turned, smiling when the door gave way. Pushing it open with his shoulder, Sam hurriedly pulled his bags in and shut the door behind him, before closing his eyes and resting his head against it. He was finally home.

He briefly wondered if he should have just called Mercedes to tell her he had made it safely. _Nah_ , he thought, _why not surprise her when she gets home from the studio_? Smiling to himself, he made to pick up his bags when he heard the familiar chords of the same song he heard playing at the airport.

 **Call me (call me)**

 **Call me the hour(the hour)**

 **Call me the minute, the hour the second you get there….**

Except the voice he was hearing sounded much closer and was not the same as the Queen of Soul. No, the voice he heard was familiar and spectacular in its on right. He stepped though the foyer quickly and peeked his head into what he'd come to know through facetime sessions as the living room. His breath caught slightly at the sight of his lady love standing before him, her eyes full of unshed tears as she allowed Mrs. Franklin to finish the song for her.

Mercedes was unsure of how long they stood there, staring at one another, as if in awe that this moment had finally come. After years of hoping and months of waiting, this was it. They were finally going to have their chance- a real chance- to be together. She was sure Sam could hear the pounding of her heart as it damn near thudded out of her chest. She sure as hell could feel the trembling of her fingers as she tried to get her emotions under control.

Sam was certain that he had come all this way to die. He had hoped, prayed, and wished this moment into existence, only for it to arrive and for him to die. Not breathing _does_ lead to death, right? For the life of him, he could not get his breathing together. He stood not three feet from the one woman he has been trying to reach for years, and his dumb feet were cemented to the floor.

They both surfaced from their respective stupors at the same moment, closing the gap between them in seconds. Sam clung to Mercedes just as tightly as she to him, tears flowed freely between the two as they allowed the intimate embrace to say what was in their hearts.

 _Welcome home._


	5. I Like It

I'm back again! A little chappy for the holiday, I suppose. Anywho, the song used is _**I Like It**_ by _**DeBarge**_. It really helps to listen to it while reading…if you like that kinda stuff. Alright… commence with the reading.

Chapter 5- I Like It

Life was great. No, life was amazing. No. Life was…epic. Yeah, epic. _Epic is my life_ , Sam ruminated as he lay in the king sized bed he shared with Mercedes. As he had done every morning since landing in Los Angeles over a week ago, he woke to the sunlight streaming through their floor to ceiling window and thanked God for the life he had been blessed with. He kept his eyes closed as he sent up the silent prayer of thanks and turned as he did everyday to look at the sleeping face of the woman next to him. She was always a heavy sleeper and he'd enjoyed nothing more than to wake up early just to watch her sleeping. It brought him peace. Just as he did everyday, he turned on his side with smile-only today, he wasn't the only one awake early.

Mercedes smiled at his stunned expression, "I figured I'd surprise you today."

"H-how did you-"

"How did I know you've been waking up early to watch me sleep? Sam, you always did that when we were in New York, and while it kinda creeped me out at first, I realized it was just another way that you express the love you have for me." she answered.

"So, you've known all this time?" he asked.

She nodded the affirmative.

"And you've just been pretending to be asleep?"

"Not every morning. Some mornings, I really am asleep, but nothing makes me feel more loved than to know that you're watching over me." She blushed at the last admission.

Sam's heart swelled even more with love for his lady at hearing that, he pulled her closer to place a quick kiss to her nose. While he would love nothing more than to kiss her properly, he knew she had this irrational concern that he wouldn't want to kiss her with morning breath. Except, she kept surprising him this morning, and she moved her head up just in time to meet his lips with her own. As she probed his lips with her tongue requesting entry, he was surprised to taste mint on her breath. His surprise soon gave way to satisfaction as she deepened the kiss. He moaned a she continued to make love to his mouth, and he allowed her to push his body back into the bedding as she straddled him, never breaking the kiss. The kiss ended slowly, lazily, and Mercedes pulled away to fix him with a satisfied smirk.

"Can I admit something?" she asked and Sam nodded his answer. "For the past week, I've been waking up early to watch you sleep, too. I just happened to have enough time today to brush my teeth before you woke."

She grinned down at him and he responded by pulling her back down to him and kissing her sensually. This time it was Mercedes who loosed a moan as Sam got down to business. His ever-roaming hands were back in action, lighting a path of heat as they traveled from the middle of her back to cup the globes of her behind. The 'hands above the waist and over the clothing' clause was effectively nullified and voided the moment he made it to California. Sam understood her desire to wait and never pressured her for more, so he was pleasantly astonished when she asked him to touch her intimately the first night he arrived. They still hadn't broached the conversation of sex, and Sam would wait until she initiated that conversation, but he could tell something had shifted in their relationship. As he and his lady continued their heavy petting, he couldn't help but think their was no better way to greet the day.

 _Screw Folgers_ , he mused.

And then he lost all ability to think when Mercedes moved her kisses from his lips to his jawline and lower to nip at the pulse point of his neck. The feel of her plush lips and warm, moist tongue against his skin was wreaking havoc on his senses and is hands involuntarily squeezed her the globes of her behind as his hips undulated beneath her.

Mercedes felt like the top of her head would shoot off like a rocket when she felt Sam moving underneath her. Every since he arrived, she found that his kisses affected her like never before and she was less and less inclined to stop their make out sessions. More often than not, Sam was the one to cool things down between them. She added her own grinding hips to the mix and felt her breathing hitch when the ridge of Sam's manhood touched a particularly sensitive spot at the same moment his hands squeezed her ass and pressed her closer to him.

"Fuck."

She whispered it so low that Sam thought he'd imagined it, but he knew for a fact she did utter the curse, which only served to make him harder than he thought possible. It never failed to get him hot beyond belief to hear her curse. At this point, they both were allowing the moment to carry them away, and Sam gripped her hips as he turned them over. He was now seated comfortably between her thighs and it was Sam's turn to blaze a trail of kisses from her now kiss-swollen lips to her collarbone. He alternated between nips and licks across her flesh, grinding his hips harder in a circular motion as he felt her nails digging into the back of his biceps.

 _Damn, this is hot as fuck,_ he wanted to say, but he refrained in fear that it would kill the mood.

"Fuck, this is so hot."

Sam's head shot up at the comment, his eyes wide in shock as he realized Mercedes had voiced his exact thoughts.

"Damn, I love you." He whispered hotly against her lips as he resumed kissing her, moving his arms to brace himself above her as he continued to rock his hips into her. Mercedes' moans increased in volume as her hips began moving in earnest underneath him and it was driving Sam crazy. His blood was pumping furiously now, so much that he feared he'd burst a vessel and his ears began to ring. His eyes closed tighter as he kissed her deeper, grunting as he could feel the telltale swirling in his abdomen.

Mercedes thought she'd gone deaf as she went from hearing the unmistakable sounds of Sam groaning above her to a high pitched keen. She was concerned, but far too gone to give one single fuck. She chanted Sam's name like a prayer as he continued to push her closer and closer to oblivion. She opened her eyes to look at this amazing man above her, to at least be content with seeing his beautiful face if she was indeed losing her hearing, when she saw a flashing light to her right. Realizing that she wasn't losing her hearing, but instead hearing the morning alarm on Sam's phone, Mercedes was about to laugh at the absurdity of her thoughts when something in her snapped. _Fire_. White-hot fire shot up from the depths of her belly and spread across her entire being in that exact moment, causing her toes to curl and her breathing to stop. The rawest, most guttural moan escaped her throat and her eyes rolled back into her head. Everything tingled, from her head, to her fingertips, to the tips of her toes. It frikking tingled! She must have lost consciousness, for the briefest of moments she saw total darkness before her eyes focused on the sight before her. Sam was still in the throes of his orgasm, and it had to be a good one judging from the strangled cry that left his lips, his tightly clenched eyes, and the veins straining his neck. Seeing him in that moment sent her crashing over the edge again, just knowing that she gave that feeling to him.

 _This is it. This is how I die. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Just tell my mama that I love her,_ Sam thought as he struggled to draw breath into his lungs. He wasn't sure how it was possible, but his body felt simultaneously exhausted and rejuvenated. He gasped for air, certain that he looked like a fish out of water, as he rested his head on the pillow of Mercedes' breasts. Suddenly remembering what had just gone down, he shot up from his resting spot and looking apologetically into the eyes of his girlfriend.

"Oh, baby. I'm-I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened. It's like this switch flipped, an- an; you were so damn hot and I-"

Mercedes could sense the moment shift as his body tensed and her thoughts were confirmed at the look of shock and embarrassment in his eyes. She cut off his unnecessary apology with a finger to his lips.

"Sam. Stop. If you recall, I started this."

'I know, babe, but I should've-" he tried to counter.

"Should've what? Pushed me away? The only thing that would have accomplished was give me one hell of a complex for a little while. Now, can you stop apologizing for something that was obviously needed by us both and bask in the afterglow with me?"

She was amazing. This beautiful, wonderful woman was amazing. And she was all his. _Just thank the Lord for the blessings he gives you, Sammy-boy._ Sam smiled widely as he placed a quick kiss to her mouth before returning to his resting spot on her breasts. He damn near purred when she began to massage his scalp. Suddenly, the soothing touch stilled.

"Sam! That ringing noise was your alarm going off. I was trying to tell you when…" She struggled to find the appropriate words to describe what had just happened. "Baby, I'm sorry. I don't want you to get in trouble at work-"

It was his turn to silence her, and he did so with a sound kiss to her lips. "Babe. It's alright. That was my morning run alarm. No need for that, now." He waggled his eyebrows animatedly. "My heart's pumping like I just outran a freight train."

Mercedes' guffaw had him laughing at his own joke. Wiping a tear from her eye as she playfully pushed at his shoulder, "Boy, stop!"

That only served to spur him on further. "Heck, who the hell needs to run when you can get a wake up like that from THE Mercedes Jones?"

He grinned as she shook from laughter beneath him. Hearing her laugh was really one of the best things in life. They lay that way for another five minutes before Mercedes hinted that they both were in desperate need of a shower. Sam jokingly added that they should save time and water and shower together and nearly collapsed from shock when Mercedes didn't rebuff him. Instead, she raised an intrigued eyebrow at him.

Sam blinked dumbly, "Babe. I…I must be an idiot, but I can't go into a shower with you…all naked and wet…and sexy as all get out… and be expected not to press you against the wall and have my way with you. "

Mercedes bit her lip at the imagery of that, as Sam eased himself off of her.

"Maybe yesterday. And maybe even tomorrow, I can do that. But I can't today. Not after…" he bit his lip as he remembered the last few moments. " I'm not that strong, Not right now."

He made the mistake of looking into her eyes and had to clench his fists at sides. Mercedes was clearly enjoying the thought of them in the shower, if the fact that she was definitely eye-fucking the hell out of him was an indicator. Truthfully, the only thing keeping him from pouncing right back on that bed was the sticky situation going on in his boxers and the nagging voice in his head that kept telling him the timing wasn't right. At least, not yet. Grabbing a fresh pair of underwear from the dresser, he sprinted out the door towards the guest bathroom.

"I expect you showered and dressing by the time I get back, Jones!" he yelled as he ran down the hall.

Mercedes could only chuckle at his antics. She was wasn't even freaked out by what had just happened or the fact that she was more than willing to share a shower with him. What? Her man was beyond fine and they loved one another. However, another part of her was relieved that Sam was again the level-headed one this morning. While she had decided to let her heart lead her, she also felt that the timing wasn't quite right. At least, not yet.

Some thirty minutes later, Sam emerged from the back hallway and entered the kitchen. His mouth watered as the aroma of bacon and eggs wafted through the condo. He smiled as Mercedes turned to lock eyes with him, a freshly prepared plate of bacon, eggs and grits in hand. Sam chuckled to himself as he eyed the grits on the plate. Ever since he took Mercedes home to visit his parents in Nashville after they'd moved back as few years, Mercedes had told him how being informed of grits had changed her life. His mother had prepared a huge breakfast spread for them during that visit, which included grits on the menu. Mercedes has been instantly hooked and made sure to stock up on the item before leaving town. He eyed her up and down as he approached, appreciating the morning glow of her skin. She'd not only showered, but also dressed in a black pencil skirt and fitted blouse. The look was finished off with a pair of fire engine red Louboutin heels that were so sexy he nearly tripped over his own feet.

"Delicious," he voiced as he neared, never taking his eyes off her. "And the breakfast looks nice, too."

Mercedes blushed prettily at the compliment, taking a moment to take him in as he approached. He was dressed smartly in a perfectly fitting black on black Tom Ford suit, his hair slicked back. In other words: _Sex-cee_. She sighed deeply as she considered how long it would take her to get him out of the suit. Glancing briefly to the wall clock, she pouted internally as she realized there was really no time. She reached up slightly to place a kiss on his lips as he took the breakfast plate from her hands while grabbing hers from the counter and taking them both to the small kitchenette table. They sat in comfortable silence and enjoyed the company of one another as they ate their breakfast.

"So, what do you have planned for today, babe? This isn't your usual studio attire."

"Natalie has scheduled a meeting with some movie director who says he want me in his next film. I would've told you about it sooner, but she literally texted me last night after we went to bed and I saw it this morning when I woke. So, there went my plan of doing pretty much nothing today."

Sam smiled at her mock pout. "Pout all you want, but that is great news, babe. A movie? You're gonna be, like, a triple threat- the world knows you can sing, and we've all been blessed enough to see that sexy ass dance. Now, you're about to get into movies? Get ready world!" Sam pantomimed a movie marquee.

"Alright, alright. Enough about that. This is just a meeting to see if I'm interested in the film and if they 'll still want me in the film after meeting me, especially after I tell them that I am on a break and won't be available to film for at least a month. I'm taking a break for us, remember? I only go into the studio because you're at work and I can't seem to stop this wealth of songwriting material that coming out of me every since you arrived."

Sam gave her a look that screamed 'girl, stop'. "They'll want you. Trust me."

She kissed the look off his face, grateful for his ever-present support. "Well, you must have something pretty big going on, today, too. This suit isn't your every day attire."

Finishing his breakfast and following with a gulp of orange juice, he nodded. "Yeah, the execs are coming down to meet with us all today. They want to meet the folks who will be tackling the re-vamping of the franchise and the Superman-Wonder woman relationship. I was told to 'dress to impress', so I went out and bought this with my advance check."

Mercedes eyed him once more, "Well mission definitely accomplished, baby."

Sam blushed under her stare, "Thanks, babe." Looking at his watch, he frowned as he saw it was nearly 7:15am. He always hated having to leave her in the morning. "Well, its time for me to go."

He drew her closer to him as he stared into her eyes. "I love you." He gave her no time before kissing her passionately. Yep, the heat from this morning was still there, and apparently raring to go at a moment's notice. He had to pull himself back before he was too far gone. Leaning back to break the kiss, he loved the fact that she came with him, seemingly not wanting to lose their connection. They were both panting slightly by the time the kiss ended and backed away from each other cautiously. Sam closed his eyes in an effort to calm himself, repeatedly reminded himself that he had to go to work if he hoped to remain gainfully employed. Mercedes was having the same internal struggle and had to look away briefly to regroup.

Returning her gaze to him, " Have a great day, babe. And don't forget that we're going out tonight with Britt and 'Tana. "

"Same to you, babe. I'll remember."

They both grabbed keys and Sam opened the door and stood aside as she passed him on her way out, biting his lip at the view of her ass in that skirt. She knew what he was doing and turned to catch him leering. Truthfully, it felt amazing to have someone that appreciated all she was. They kissed once more before parting on 'I love you's' to begin their respective days.

 _Later that evening…_

Sam smiled as he thought of how well things had gone at work today. The execs were extremely open and optimistic about the ideas of his team regarding the direction they would take the franchise. He sent up another prayer of thanks as he finished tying his boot. Standing to his full height, he gave himself the once over in the full length mirror of their bedroom, smiling when he saw Mercedes emerge from her walk-in closet, fully dressed. _Damn_. His entire body stilled as he took in her reflection. She was dressed in a pair of form-fitting black distressed jeans with a black, back-less top and black booties. She grabbed her black mini leather jacket to put on, turning to face the mirror and starting as she caught Sam's gaze in the mirror.

She took a moment to look at his reflection in the mirror, smirking to herself when she saw that they'd unknowingly matched their outfits. Sam, too, wore all black. He'd paired up a black fitted v-neck shirt with black jeans, boots, and the leather jacket she loved to see him in. Their gazes locked once again and before the moment could get to intense, the doorbell sounded.

"That must be the girls. I'll get it."

Sam smirked as Mercedes nearly ran out of the room, beyond satisfied with the effect he was apparently having on her.

"Yo, Trouty! Enough primping. Let's roll!"

He smiled, shaking his head as he heard the voice of his friend.

My First Fridays was a favorite jaunt of the girls and Mercedes couldn't wait to bring Sam here. They were seated near the stage but far enough in the shadows to not be easily seen. Even though she'd achieved a fairly high level of success and notoriety, she still liked to come to the performance/comedy club and getting back to her roots in an impromptu performance on stage. She was also always impressed by the talent she saw passing through the venue, often referring some of the performers to her manager, Natalie's budding management company. The woman had been good to her and it showed in her success, and Mercedes loved paying it forward whenever possible.

The group has been at the venue for nearly an hour and were enjoying the free drinks and fresh talent on stage when Mercedes heard her name called. Looking to the stage, she shook her head while the emcee informed that _the_ Mercedes Jones was indeed, in the house. Mercedes smiled and waved to the other patrons as they showed their approval to have her in their midst.

"You know, sometimes we're lucky enough to get Miss Jones up here on stage to sing a song or two…" the emcee prodded, serving the amp the crowd up even more.

Sam smiled, loving to see how much these people adored Mercedes. Leaning over to whisper in her ear, "Don't keep the people waiting, Miz Jones."

Shaking her head again in amusement, Mercedes made her way to the stage. Once she was in the spotlight, she was in her element and she played the crowd beautifully. She sang two songs before having the house band play a mellow tune. She looked out into the crowd, smiling at the audience.

"I just want to thank y'all for being so gracious. I'd like to sing one more number, but I have a special guest I'd like to invite up , if y'all don't mind…" the audience cheered their approval. " Well, the person I'd like to bring up is someone very special to me. Without whom, I'm not entirely sure I'd be who I am today. He has always believed in me, even when it seemed I didn't. He's probably gonna kill me for putting him on the spot like this…but please help me welcome my boyfriend, Sam Evans, to the stage!"

Sam blushed furiously as she called his name, nearly spitting his drink out in the process. He was so gonna get her for this. Santana and Brittany laughed lovingly at the expression on his face, urging him to join his girlfriend on stage. Never one to disappoint, Sam stood and made his way to the stage, giving Mercedes a sound kiss on the lips once he reached her. He blushed again at hearing the catcalls that followed, and chuckled at some of the boos.

Leaning forward to speak into her mic, he looked into the audience and smirked, "Sorry, guys, she's taken." He retuned his gaze to his lady, "What song you wanna sing, baby?"

Mercedes pondered for just a moment, and he knew for a fact she'd say _Human Nature_ , but just as she would respond, a cry sounded from the audience.

"Sing some old school!"

Mercedes chuckled at the outburst, "Alright, something old school.. Hmm, what do you think, baby?"

Sam thought for a moment, smirking when the idea hit him. Leaning into the microphone she was holding, he spoke to the crowd, "Hey, guys, I'm Sam. I was hoping you could all help me out with something for my lady here. What do you say y'all help me sing her one of her favorite old school songs?"

The crowd went wild, shouts of "Yes!" flying from all over the room.

Sam requested a chair be brought for Mercedes to sit in while he told the house band what song he was going to perform. The band leader was clearly impressed with Sam's song choice, adding, " We'll make it extra funky for you, Sam E."

Sam helped Mercedes to her seat and leaned down to give her a kiss, iliciting a chorus of 'aww's' from the audience. Mercedes grinned widely, her love for him growing even more. Sam removed his jacket and gave it to her to hold. "Hold like you hold me, baby." That comment made her blush and more catcalls followed. He nodded to indicate he was ready and the band. The brass section came in strong on the song's intro and Mercedes smiled widely, immediately recognizing the tune. Sam smiled as he looked into her eyes…

 _I've been thinkin'_

 _'bout you, for quite a while_

 _You're on my mind everyday and every night._

 _My every thought is you, the things you do_

 _Seems so satisfying to me,_

 _I must confess it, girl_

Sam turned to the audience, "Help me out here, guys!"

The audience chimed in right on time with the chorus of:

 _ **Ooh… and I like it.**_

He smiled at their cooperation before returning all of his focus to the lady at his side. Winking as he sang to her.

 _You send chills up my spine every time_

 _I take one look at you_

 _ **Ooh… and I like it.**_

 _Girl, you're blowin'_

 _My mind with the things you say to me_

 _I like the way you comb your hair_

 _And I like those stylish clothes you wear_

 _Its just the little things you do_

 _That show how much you really care_

 _Like when I'm all alone with you_

 _You know exactly what to do_

 _You put that fire inside of me_

 _And make it more than just a dream_

 _ **Ooh… I like it.**_

 _You send chills up my spine every time_

 _I take one look at you_

 _ **Ooh… I like it**_

 _ **Ooh… I like it**_

Sam took Mercedes hand as he leaned closer to her, almost forgetting that he was performing before a crowd.

 _Girl,_

 _Let me run this by you just one more time_

 _You're on my mind every day and every night_

 _My every thought is on you, the things you do_

 _Seems so satisfying to me,_

 _I must confess it, girl_

 _ **Ooh… and I like it**_

 _You send chills up my spine every time_

 _I take one look at you_

 _ **Ooh… I like it**_

 _Girl, you're blowin'_

 _My mind with the things you say to me_

 _I like the way you comb your hair_

 _And I like those stylish clothes you wear_

 _Its just the little things you do_

 _That show how much you really care_

 _Like when I'm all alone with you_

 _You know exactly what to do_

 _You put that fire inside of me_

 _And make it more than just a dream_

 _ **I like it, I like it**_

 _ **I really, really like it**_

 _ **I'm for it, adore it**_

 _ **So come let me enjoy it**_

 _ **I like it, I like it**_

 _ **I really, really like it**_

 _ **I'm for it, adore it**_

 _ **So come let me enjoy it**_ _( I like it)_

 _ **I like it**_ _( I like),_ _**I like it**_ _(That's right)_

 _ **I really**_ _( I like),_ _ **really like it**_ _(Uh, Uh)_

 _ **I'm for it**_ _( I'm for it),_ _ **adore it**_ _( I like)_

 _ **So come let me enjoy it**_ _(Ooh…ooh…ooh…)_

Mercedes and the rest of the audience were pleasantly surprised to hear Sam hit an amazing rendition of El Debarge's famous falsetto _._

 _Ooh…_ _ **and I like it**_

 _Ooh, I like it, ooh…_

 _Ooh…_ _ **and I like it…**_

 _I'm just trying to satisfy you, girl,_

 _You know I really like it_

 _Say, baby.(_ _ **ooh… and I like it**_ _)_

 _I like every little thing you do_

 _The way you comb your hair_

 _And every little thing you do_

 _It shows how much you care_

 _Say, baby,(_ _ **ooh… and I like it**_ _) every time I take one look at you_

 _I get chills up and down my spine_

 _And I like it, I like it, and I like it._

 _And I like it, and I like it._

 _Li-i-i-i-i-ke it, like it, like it, like it, like it._

 _Like it, like it, babe._

 _ **Ooh… and I like it**_

 _Woo…ooh…_

 _ **Ooh…and I like it**_

Sam finished the song with flourish and Mercedes loved it. The thunderous applause and cheers alerted him that he and Mercedes were in fact not alone. However, it was her smile and applause that had his insides doing all kinds of funny things. Collecting himself, he turned to face the audience and thanked them for their assistance.

The emcee bounded back on stage, clapping Sam across the back. "You heard it here first, folks. This is Sam E! Mercedes Jones' boo thang and he can sang, y'all!"

The crowd erupted again with cheers of agreement. "Alright, let's thank Miss Mercedes Jones and Sam E. for helping prove why My First Fridays is the place to be!"

Sam and Mercedes waved to the crowd before Sam helped Mercedes off the stage and back to their seats. Brittany was practically vibrating with energy by the time they got back to their table.

"Oh my gosh, guys! You're babies are gonna be way cute and super talented! I can't wait!" the blonde gushed.

Normally, talk of babies would make them both blush, however, this time, they merely looked lovingly at one another and smiled. _Some day_.


	6. Slowly

Okay. So I tried my damnedest not to write this chapter because I felt it would speed up the pacing of the story, but this narrative wouldn't leave my mind until I wrote it out. I even tried to write another chapter to lead in to it (hence the delay), but this beast would not be tamed. Also, I know that the song used isn't technically classified as an old school jam, but I saw this man in concert a couple of days ago and the song matched everything I wanted to write about.

Wow, this note is super long. Well, moving on...

Song; _**'Slowly' by Tank**_ (listen to won't regret it.)

Chapter 6- Slowly

Sam smiled to himself as he took in the storyboard before him. He was beyond thrilled with the way the new story arc was unfolding and his team was amazing. It was like every member of the team was in sync and putting everything together was effortless. _Everything falls into place, one way or another_. He chuckled under his breath at the thought that Mercedes had told him those exact words when he had begun to stress about how his ideas would be received when he had a sudden spark of inspiration that ended up taking the story in a whole new direction, but his team was on board from the moment he uttered his thoughts. As usual, thinking of Mercedes caused his heart to flutter and he glanced down at his watch.

2:35pm.

Mercedes was just finishing up her final meeting with the movie studio and the producer. The last six weeks had flown by and with time, both of their schedules seemed to pick up. Sam and his team were deep into completion of the first edition of the comic under his leadership, while Mercedes doubts about the movie were quickly assuaged when the producer and studio practically begged her to do the action/romance flick. She had met with them a total of three times before agreeing to the film, finally agreeing when they assured her that she could write and sing the title track of the film. It also didn't hurt that Michael B. Jordan was rumored to be her leading man. Initially, Sam balked at the idea of some other dude making eyes at his lady, even if it was make-believe, but he soon saw reason and even laughed at himself for his temporary foolishness. Their relationship was solid, built on mutual respect, trust and honesty.

They both made it a point to remind one another of that daily, whether through little love notes left for the other, or through sending cute little texts throughout the day, to doing everything within their respective powers to stick to their promise to take a date night each week. Usually, it was every Friday, but a relationship was work, so they would compromise sometimes when work demanded and move it to another night during that particular week. Last Friday was Mercedes' choice of activities and the two enjoyed a night of dancing at the local reggae club. Sam never considered himself much of a dancer, but after a few drinks and the sight of his lady's fine behind shaking in front of him, even he was amazed by some of the moves he'd pulled out that night. That night had rolled into early Saturday morning and they ended up spending the late night/early morning on the beach watching the sunrise. It was incredible. This Friday would be Sam's choice and Mercedes couldn't wait. She smiled as she thought of her boo. As she settled into her car to head home, her cell phone began to ring. Her smile widened as she heard the telltale ringtone of Jill Scott's ' _He Loves Me_ ' playing, indicating the call was from her wonderful beau.

"Hey, boo." She practically cooed into the phone.

Sam was glad he decided to make this call from the privacy of his office. Just the sound of her voice was doing things to him. He shifted in his seat to relieve the sudden pressure, and cleared his throat.

"Hey, baby. How'd the meeting go?"

"Really well. I got to meet Michael and we did a brief read-through to test for chemistry. I think this is going to be a really good film, babe."

Sam smiled as he could hear her excitement through the phone. "I told you, baby. The world better get ready for you."

"Thank, Sam," she blushed from his proclamation. "You've always been my number 1 fan."

"Damn straight, I am." He answered, using his James Earl Jones impersonation.

"Boy, stop!" Mercedes couldn't help but laugh at his foolishness."So... did you call because you just wanted to talk to me or are you finally going to give me a clue about where we're going for our date tonight?"

"Babe, if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, remember?" He teased.

Mercedes playfully rolled her eyes, "Whatever. I told you in advance about our plans last week. Why can't you return the favor? You know how much I hate surprises."

"Hates surprises?" His scoff was comical. "This, coming from the woman who makes it her mission to surprise everyone around her daily."

"I never said I didn't like surprising other people. I just don't like _being_ surprised."

Sam side eyed the phone for a moment, knowing she would understand the sentiment.

"And you can stop with the side-eye Samuel." She sassed.

"I will. Soon as you stop talking foolishness."

"Whatever."

He chuckled fully at that, " Don't worry. You're in good hands with Sammy E, baby."

Mmm, the way his voice dropped a whole octave lower on 'baby' sent her mind spiraling back to earlier that morning.

 _"I swear to all that is good and holy, there is no better way to start the day." Sam managed to get out between his labored breathing. His cheeks flushed, evidence of the strenuous activity they'd just finished. He chanced a glance to his right, smiling widely at the image of his girlfriend._

 _Mercedes breathed in and out deeply as she tried to calm herself. "Speak for yourself. Now I'm all sweaty and gross."_

 _"Just the way I like you." Sam replied cutely._

 _That earned him an eye roll as she righted herself. "I much rather preferred my method of just waking up and laying in bed til the sun rose to this."_

 _Sam cocked his head to the side to regard her, " That's not what you said when I took off my shi-"_

 _"Sam. Don't start." She cut him off, but he could clearly see her mind replaying the events that led to this moment._

 _Sam had finally convinced Mercedes to actually join him during his morning workout. Following his arrival to California, his morning jog routine was traded in favor of weight training and strength exercises. Mercedes couldn't be more thrilled about his decision, although she loved him no matter his looks. That being said, she was pleasantly surprised to see Sam had decided to forego the lean swimmer's body he'd had since they were 19 and return to his bulkier, football body type. She could admit that her boyfriend had a body that was beyond sexy, but seeing the change in his physique was enough to make her mouth water. In a few short weeks, his shoulder width had expanded and his pectorals looked good enough to bite. Presently, Sam had just finished spotting her in her round of arm squatting exercises. He made sure to rub up against her at every opportunity, the only thing he succeeded in doing was distracting her._

 _"Um, Mr. Evans. Don't think I don't know what you're doing." She smirked after the statement._

 _Nonplussed, Sam continued to rub up against her in a way that wasn't entirely kosher for the public access gym they were in. "Don't know what you're referring to, ma'am."_

 _Oh, so he's gonna play dumb, is he? Mercedes smiled to herself as she leaned forward at the waist slowly and did a sinful dip,making sure to rub her ass against his crotch as she came back up. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to quell the laugh that threatened to sound once she heard Sam squeak behind her._

 _Yeah, he squeaked. Like a damn mouse. But what else could be expected when an ass like that is rubbing up against you in public? True, he could have growled, but the unexpected contact drew the response from him before he could truly process what had just happened. Once he got his bearings about himself, he leaned forward and chuckled darkly in Mercedes' ear._

 _"You know I'm gonna get you back for this , right?"_

 _Mercedes shuddered at the contact of his body against hers, and momentarily panicked because Sam could be reckless and messy when he wanted to be and she couldn't imagine what he would do here, in public, where they could be seen. Just as she would turn around and plead he save that for a more private moment, she caught his mischievous grin in the mirror. She was helpless to turn away when he continued that sexy ass grin as he backed away from her slowly, removing his shirt in tantalizing slow fashion. Mercedes' eyes were immediately drawn to that glorious vee of his pelvic area, following the hem of that damn shirt as I danced across his pronounced abs, then further north as it kissed his pecs before revealing his strong neck and being haphazardly thrown in her direction. By the time she was regaining her senses, Sam was standing inches away from her, hands grazing low on her hips._

 _"Mercy, baby? You think you could help me work on my squat routine?" His lips were a hair's breath away from her own._

 _She nodded mutely, too caught up in whatever spell he was currently weaving. A surprised yelp escaped her throat as she processed that his hands quickly found their way beneath her thighs and he hoisted her in air and brought her legs to settle around the outside of his thighs. Her hands instinctively wrapped around his neck, although more out of fear and desperation as she thought he may drop her in front of the rest of the early morning fitness buffs._

 _"Sam!"_

 _"Shhh, baby. I got you. You know that." His voice was surprisingly steady for someone to have the weight of another settled upon them. His eyes met hers in reassurance. "Lock your feet behind me and just hold on."_

 _She did as expected and more than surprised when he dropped his hands from her thighs and held them slightly to his side, performing the perfect squat as if she wasn't draped all over him. Her awe morphed into sinful fascination as she realized this particular exercise mimicked making love. Sam continued his "modified squats" and she enjoyed the repetitive up and down motion as well as the feel of her breasts rubbing against his chest as he straightened up each time. She quickly forgot the presence of any others in the room and could only focus on the motion he was giving her and his green eyes which had darkened considerably. It wasn't clear how much time had passed when Sam straightened up for the last time, and Mercedes had barely registered the fact that he had released her legs and she was again standing of her on her fruition. Whatever just went down between them was sexy as fuck._

 _Sam smirked his sexy ass smirk at seeing the distracted look on her face, taking the opportunity to lightly smack her bottom to get her attention._

 _"Wh-what?"_

 _"What do you say we really work up a sweat, baby?"_

 _Damn, did he have to ask her in that sexy ass tone? At this point, Mercedes would have done anything this man asked. She nodded her acquiescence. Suddenly- too suddenly, Sam straightened up to his full height and his grinned proudly._

 _"Great, let's hit the treadmill, then!"_

In the end, they both ended up sweaty and panting from the simulated 3 mile run on the treadmill. Although initially irritated he could tease her in such a way, her irritation led way to humor as she chuckled at her mischievous beau.

"Anyway, I'm headed to the studio. I'm feeling...inspired all of a sudden and need to get these thoughts recorded before I lose them."

Sam smiled at that, "Alright. I just needed to hear from you to help me make it through the rest of this day."

"Everything okay?"

"Couldn't be better. I just figured, why not take my plain ol' 'good day' and make it down right 'amazing'."

Mercedes playfully rolled her eyes at his cheesiness.

He grinned even wider, "You're beautiful when you smile, babe."

"How did you know I was smiling?"

"I always know. Love you."

"Love you, Sam."

Friday evening finally rolled around and Mercedes was practically vibrating with nervous energy put the finishing touches on her makeup. Sam walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist as he nuzzled her neck.

"So damn sweet, baby."

"I'd be even sweeter if you told me what we're doing tonight..." She teased.

He immediately stopped the action and backed away from her slowly. "Tsk, tsk. You little vixen."

Glancing at his watch, he noted the time and advised Mercedes they would have to be leaving soon lest they be late. She was clearly surprised to find a company car waiting for them as they exited the cast a curious eyebrow in Sam's direction.

Shrugging his shoulders, he sheepishly replied to the unasked question. "So, I might've found out today that DC offers its associates car service on occasion."

Taking her hand, he led her to the opened back door and helped her sit, following soon thereafter. "Besides, I couldn't hold you in my arms if I drove." He held her until the car reached its destination, MacArthur Park. Her interest was clearly piqued as he took her hand and helped her exit the vehicle. He shook hands with their driver. "Thanks, Dean. We're gonna be here for a couple of hours, so if you wanna take off for he night, we can catch a cab home."

The driver smiled warmly while shaking his head, "Nah, Sam. I'm good and I have snacks in the car. You and Miss Jones enjoy yourselves. I'll be right here waiting when you're ready to leave."

Sam nodded his head, "Thanks, man."

The two bumped fists before Sam took Mercedes' hand again and led her through the park's entrance. She could see faint lighting up ahead and gasped at the beautiful scenery as they topped the small hill they were walking. Ahead of here, there were eight small tables adorned with beautiful red roses and bottles of champagne. The entire area was beautifully lit by intricately strung party lights. They weren't alone as she noticed approximately six other couples seated at the other tables. Sam continued to hold her hand as approached a golden rope which separated the setting from the rest of the park. An attendant appeared out of nowhere and Sam handed the man a small slip of paper. Nodding his head, the attendant pulled the rope far enough to allow them entry. She said nothing as she continued to take in the elegant setting around her.

"Sam, this is incredible..and so beautiful." She said as she was finally seated at her table.

"I wouldn't know, you're the only incredible and beautiful thing I see around here."

She smiled and the endearing comment and leaned over to reward his sweet words with a slow kiss. "And they said you had no game."

Sam smiled at the comment and they were soon interrupted by a waiter bringing them an equally elegant menu. Dinner was fancy and beyond delicious and conversation flowed easily and freely between the two lovers. A short while later, Mercedes noticed a makeshift stage that she'd somehow missed before. Several individuals entered the same secluded dinner area and made way to the stage and picked up several instruments. Moments later, a well-built gentleman took place behind the microphone at the center of everything. He nodded to the piano player and began to sing softly into the mic. She bobbed her head along with the beat slowly as she recognized the tune to be 'Next Breath by Tank. The artist sung it so beautifully and Mercedes found herself singing softly along, before realizing that the artist in question was in fact Tank. Sam's grin grew twice as big as he saw the realization on her face.

Mercedes grabbed his hand as she leaned across the table and whispered excitedly. " Oh. My. God! Sam, it's Tank! I love him!"

Sam just continued to smile at her fangirling. "I know, babe. Will you dance with me?"

The two danced as intimate concert lasted for little more than an hour before Tank closed out the show with one of Mercedes' favorite song in his collection, 'Close'. The mood of their date changed considerably at that point and Sam could feel the change in his girlfriend. He'd initially thought it was the alcohol which caused her to mold her body closer to his, but dispelled that thought as he glanced at her champagne flute which was still half full. He pulled her closer as they made their way back to the waiting car and growled lowly as Mercedes slowly and methodically kissed his Adam's apple on the ride home. By the time they made it inside their home, Sam was mad with desire. He pinned her body against the bedroom door and proceeded to kiss the life out of her.

Mercedes allowed him to control the kiss for just a moment before using reversing their position and pressing his body against the door. She continued to kiss him sensually as she unbuttoned his shirt painstakingly slow, making sure to caress his exposed flesh as she went about her task. Once the shirt was completely unbuttoned, she pulled it down enough to trap his arms. Backing away slowly, she eyed her man from beneath lowered lashes, biting her lip as she took in his form.

"Don't. Move."

Sam was so turned on at that moment, he was certain that his legs wouldn't move if he wanted them to. He watched her with half-lidded eyes as she slowly walked backwards towards the bed, pausing only enough to slide her fingers across her phone screen before tossing the phone on her nearby night stand. Somewhere in the distance, Sam could hear a faint intro begin to play, however, he couldn't focus entirely on the music. He was caught up in whatever game Mercedes was playing. Her eyes bore into him with such an intensity, it nearly stole his breath.

 _ **Set the mood**_  
 _ **Light the candles and bring the wine**_  
 _ **(Baby bring the wine)**_  
 _ **I'm wantin' you**_  
 _ **(Been havin' this feeling) for some time now**_  
 _ **Come on in**_  
 _ **Take off your coat and stay awhile(stay with me)**_  
 _ **I been waitin' for this day**_  
 _ **Just so we can make**_ …

"Come here, baby."

Sure, he heard her words, but his mind was too muddled to process what was said. Luckily for him, his body was ready to respond. He crossed the distance between them in three strides, freeing his arms of the confines of his shirt. His eyes never leaving Mercedes'. Once his arms were free, he gathered her as close as possible and lowered his mouth to hers in a heated kiss. Her moans were music to his ears as he moved his kisses lower to her exposed collarbone, alternating between nips and licks to the flesh.

 _ **Oh slowly (slowly, I know)**_  
 _ **We'll be**_  
 _ **Makin' love**_  
 _ **Slowly, all night**_  
 _ **All night long...**_

Mercedes threw her head back and arched into him as he continued to play her body like the finest instrument. She vaguely registered that Sam's hands had slowly roamed from her hips to the back of her dress. She softly guided his face back to her and resumed kissing him as he slowly slid her zipper down, stopping only long enough to allow her step back and watch the dress pool at her ankles. She kicked the dress away and made to remove her heels. Sam stayed her with a hand to her forearm.

"Leave them on."

 _ **Slip it off, yeah**_  
 _ **Show big daddy what he've been missing**_  
 _ **Tip it off, tip it off**_  
 _ **Want you to feel right when I'm kissin', when I'm kissin'**_  
 _ **(Really really wanna take my time)**_  
 _ **Witcha pretty baby**_  
 _ **Makin' you go mad...**_

She stood before him, looking sexy as hell in her sexy ass black heels and even sexier black lingerie. Her breasts were offered up to him like a feast to a starving man. He glanced to the mirror on his right and bit his lip as he saw just enough of her ass to know that those boyshorts she wore hugged her ass to perfection. He didn't know where to start first, but Mercedes sure did. Her hands deftly rid him of his belt and unbuttoned his slacks. His zipper was lowered agonizingly slow, and damned if she wasn't trying to kill him by ensuring that her fingertips caressed his manhood on the way down. He toed his shoes off and kicked his pants aside. His socks quickly followed and he soon stood before her in his black boxer briefs that were doing nothing to hide his excitement. He shuddered as he felt her hands caress his ass as she lowered the last remainder of clothing from his body.

 _ **Love you (love you) all night long**_  
 _ **Slowly (I know)**_  
 _ **You'll be making love**_  
 _ **Slowly (slowly babe) all night**_  
 _ **All night long**_

 _ **(I just want to touch your pretty little body babe)**_  
 _ **Slowly (I know)**_  
 _ **We'll be**_  
 _ **Makin' love**_  
 _ **Slowly, all night**_  
 _ **All night long...**_

Although she'd seen Sam in various states of undress and arousal before, Mercedes couldn't help the sharp intake of breath at seeing him in his glory. The man was fine from head to toe, and the thought that he was all hers made caused heat to pool in her belly and flood her undergarments. Sam breathed in just as sharply as she took him into her hand fully, marveling at the simultaneous feel of velvet encased steel. She stroked him, alternating her rhythm and squeezing him to the point that he was sure his heart had ceased all function. To send his further over the edge, she took his nipple into her mouth and bit down lightly. Sam's body spasmed and he felt himself cum unexpectedly. Dazed, he looked down and saw that his seed had found itself on the crotch of her underwear. His ears reddened furiously as he realized what had just occurred. Mercedes quieted any words he would say by kissing him fully on the mouth, her tongue making him forget any and everything he would say. The kiss lasted for what seemed like an eternity before she ended it by biting his bottom lip lightly. Backing away from him, she looked down at her soiled clothing, then back to him.

"I love being able to make you do that."

 _Oh, fuck me,_ he thought as he groaned aloud. This woman was to be the death of him. He watched in awe as she slowly lowered the lingerie and tossed it aside, followed quickly by her bra. Sam's mouth watered as he took in the sight of her naked form. He pressed his body against hers as he kissed her, lowering her to the bed. Once she rested atop the bed he took his time kissing and licking a trail from her lips, to her collarbone, then to her breast. Once there, he took exceptional care to treat her nipples with the same care as she did him, alternating between both breasts.

 _ **Oh slowly babe (slowly) (I know)**_  
 _ **It's wine to get you in the mood**_  
 _ **You'll be making love**_  
 _ **Slowly (I wanna do it slowly) all night**_  
 _ **All night long**_

 _ **Oh I wanna put my face in places you would never let anybody go before**_  
 _ **Makin' love slowly, all night, all night long**_  
 _ **Come on in**_  
 _ **Close the door**_  
 _ **Take off your coat**_  
 _ **Drink some more**_  
 _ **Holdin' you close**_  
 _ **Holdin' you tight**_  
 _ **Makin' love all through the night...**_

Mercedes' hands grasped at his hair as he continued his path to her womanly mound. His hands planted on her thighs as he kissed her there lightly. Her hands tightened as he added his tongue to the mix and used his tongue to spell out his full first, middle, and last name. By the time he reached the final 'S", Mercedes was keening high and loud enough to break glass. The sound went straight to Sam's dick, as he felt himself lengthen and harden beyond belief. He reached a hand down to ease the pressure on his balls as he continued to french kiss his girlfriend's lower lips. Once she felt her rapidly beating heart slow and her ability to think return, Mercedes grabbed Sam's shoulders and urged him up. He stopped briefly to revisit her breasts before finally reaching her mouth. Their kissing intensified and Mercedes used her hand to brush Sam's away from his throbbing manhood.

"Let me."

 _ **Come on in**_  
 _ **Close the door**_  
 _ **Take off your coat**_  
 _ **Drink some more**_  
 _ **Holdin' you close**_  
 _ **Holdin' you tight**_  
 _ **Makin' love (makin' love) through the night**_

 _ **Slowly (I know)**_  
 _ **You'll be making love**_  
 _ **Slowly all night**_  
 _ **All night long**_  
 _ **(Oh I don't think you wanna see what I'm trynna do)…**_

Yep. This was death. What was it the French called it? La petit morte, or something like that? Whatever the saying, Sam was more than sure that he was there. Right at that precipice of life and death, of existing and being no more. Between the kissing, stroking, and squeezing, he was sure he would climax for the second time that night, when Mercedes did something that would surely send him into cardiac arrest. Sam felt her drag the tip of him across her distended nub. It felt so damned good! Once his lungs resumed their function, he raised his hips lightly, momentarily breaking the contact. His eyes were wild as he tried to punch the words out from his heaving chest. Mercedes only responded by grabbing the back of his head and pulling his mouth to meet hers, again kissing away any question he would ask. Sam knew this was a distraction and had the presence of mind to slowly end the kiss.

Looking deep into her eyes, his voice was a hoarse whisper, "Mercedes, a-are you sure?"

"Sam, I love you. I don't need to wait any longer to be sure you're the one. I know you are it for me. I want this and the time is right. Make love to me."

He kissed her before he realized what he was doing, reaching into the night stand to retrieve a condom. She stopped his hand before it reached it's destination, pulling his head closer. She whispered hotly in his ear, "I've been on birth control for six months because I knew this would be happening. I just want to feel you- all of you- inside me."

 _ **Slowly (I know)**_  
 _ **You'll be making love**_  
 _ **Slowly all night**_  
 _ **All night long**_

 _ **I just wanna take it slowly**_  
 _ **I wanna take it slowly**_  
 _ **I wanna take it slowly, slowly babe**_  
 _ **Oh slowly babe**_

 _ **Come on in**_  
 _ **And close the door**_  
 _ **Take off your clothes**_  
 _ **Drink some more**_  
 _ **Holdin' you close**_  
 _ **Holdin' you tight**_  
 _ **Makin' love through the night**_

His heartbeat tripled at her words, and his hips involuntarily jerked. His eyes were comically wide as he regarded her, too stupified to voice the question on his tongue. Mercedes only nodded in response as she smiled lovingly at him. He felt her grasp him again, brushing the full length of him across her sweet spot. She wanted him to make love to her, and damn it, that's what he was going to do. Sam regained his bearings and made love to her mouth as he let her guide the tip of him in. Once there, he grasped both her hands in his above her head and looked her lovingly in the eye.

"I love you."

He took her lips in a tantalizing kiss at that moment, slowly and steadily rocking his hips into her until he reached her barrier. The kissed intensified as he pushed through, hoping to distract her from the pain. Mercedes broke away from the kiss on a gasp. _Fuck, he was big_. She was no fool, she knew this would hurt, but _damn_. Sam went perfectly still above her as he willed the pain to go away. Mercedes inhaled and exhaled slowly and closed her eyes as an errant tear made it way down her cheek. He took that moment to kiss away the tear.

"I'm sorry, baby. I love you."

It took her another minute or two to breathe through the pain, realizing that while the feeling of fullness was still there, the pain was decreasing exponentially. "It's okay, baby. Really."

Sam was almost tempted to pull out to make sure was okay, but she quickly changed his mind when she began undulating beneath him. She would roll her hips a certain way at the peak of her grinding that stole his breath away.

"Ffffff-uck." He panted.

 _ **Come on in**_  
 _ **And close the door**_  
 _ **Take off your clothes**_  
 _ **Drink some more**_  
 _ **Holdin' you close**_  
 _ **Holdin' you tight**_  
 _ **Makin' love through the night..**_

Mercedes continued to move underneath him and something in him snapped. His head rested in the crook of her neck as he began to roll and rotate his hips in a manner that made her breathing hitch.

"Yesssssss..."

Hearing that she liked that only spurred him on more. He made sure to roll his hips in the same way each time, grazing her clit in the process. Mercedes tightened her grip on his hand as he continued to move within her. She'd never felt anything like this in her life. She could feel every inch of him brushing against her walls in the maddening way and it was amazing. A fine sheen of seat began to form at her brow as they both continued to move together. Soon, she felt something that hinted at the familiar while simultaneously feeling brand new. Her heartrate increased and something stirred deep within her.

"Harder. Faster, Sam."

At that, he hitched her right leg upon his hip and increased the force of his strokes. His neck muscles strained from the effort and he loved it. Over and over again he grinded into that special place until the tightly drawn coil in her belly not only snapped, but exploded within her. The breath whooshed out of her lungs as her eyes closed tightly. She tried to ride out the orgasm, but it was too strong. She felt as if her entire being shattered into a million pieces in the moment just before everything went black. Sam fared no better. His hips began to piston uncontrollably until white hot fire raced from his spine to the top of his head, to the tips of his fingers and toes. He could feel the hairs at his neck curl as a bead of sweat trickled down his back. He roared undermoniously above her as his seed rushed out of his body. By the time he finished climaxing, his breathing was jagged and sweat covered his forehead. It felt as if it lasted forever, and the only thing he could remember before the darkness consumed him was looking down into Mercedes loving eyes as she said " I love you."

 _ **Slowly, (I just wanna take slowly) you'll be**_  
 _ **Slowly**_


	7. Chapter 7

Hey, folks. Don't you hate it when you get an email alert that a new chapter has posted for a story-only to find out it's a damn author's note? No? Just me?

Anyways, I'm so sorry for the delay. My muse decided to take a mini-vacay. But then she returned and all was well, until used OneNote and hit some unknown button that deleted every bit of the 2,000+ word new chapter. So...it's back to the drawing board for me and I will do my best to get this chapter re-written this week.

So..stay tuned. And again, I am so sorry.


	8. Don't Let Me Down

Oh. My. Gawd. Y'all, let me start by saying I am so sorry for the delay. As I said before, my muse...she comes and goes. After I lost my chapter, I tried to recreate what I'd written, however, that wasn't happening. Just to give you a little insight to my writing approach, there really isn't one. I'm usually just minding my business and listening to music when an entire story/scene will pop in my head and I promptly have to write it down. There is no planning, no outlining...it just comes as I type. Problem with that is, once it's gone, .gone. Anyways, I re-read the last few chapters and felt my muse returning. She also screamed at me for the ending of chapter 6. What it should have said was "I love you"... not that "Thank you" mess. Case in point why you shouldn't wake up at 2am to write fanfiction. Alright, the song used this chapter is **Don't Let Me Down**. The original version is by The Beatles, but I chose the grittier, slower version covered by Stereophonics ( watch?v=C7jWvFMCmA4) *insert strong suggestion to listen to the song while reading*

Ugh, enough of this... on to the reading...

 **Chapter 8- Don't Let Me Down**

 _ **"Harder. Faster, Sam."**_

 _ **At that, he hitched her right leg upon his hip and increased the force of his strokes. His neck muscles strained from the effort and he loved it. Over and over again he grinded into that special place until the tightly drawn coil in her belly not only snapped, but exploded within her. The breath whooshed out of her lungs as her eyes closed tightly. She tried to ride out the orgasm, but it was too strong. She felt as if her entire being shattered into a million pieces in the moment just before everything went black. Sam fared no better. His hips began to piston uncontrollably until white hot fire raced from his spine to the top of his head, to the tips of his fingers and toes. He could feel the hairs at his neck curl as a bead of sweat trickled down his back. He roared unceremoniously above her as his seed rushed out of his body. By the time he finished climaxing, his breathing was jagged and sweat covered his forehead. It felt as if it lasted forever, and the only thing he could remember before the darkness consumed him was looking down into Mercedes loving eyes as she said " I love you."**_

Mercedes bit down on her lip to quiet the moan that wanted so badly to escape. Shaking herself from the memory, she refocused on the script before her. She read approximately ten more words before the memory of her first time making love with Sam skated across her thoughts again. That had happened over three weeks ago and she'd thought it would lead to several consecutive nights of the same activity. However, life was a finicky bitch when she wanted to be, and she definitely was feeling herself lately. Of course, a repeat of that fateful night's events had gone down as soon as they awoke the next day, but it'd become damn near impossible to carve out time for that kind of intimacy over the last few weeks.

Shooting for the film had begun two days after that night and Mercedes found that by the time she finished for the day and arrived home, she was either too exhausted or had only arrived home to find Sam peacefully sleeping in their bed. Of course, he always stirred awake when she got there but it just wasn't the same when they were both obviously feeling less than 100 percent. Quickies had nothing on having the ability to really take your time and express you love in the physical sense. Needless to say, she was in need of a repeat of that night in the worst way, and Sam felt the same way. He'd said as much a few days after when he realized their schedules refused to coordinate themselves with their libidos.

 _One week ago…._

 _"Hey, babe. I miss you." His voice was breathy over the FaceTime connection._

 _"Baby, we spend every night together-" she began before he cut her off._

 _"Correction. We share a bed, but we haven't slept together in nearly a week. And when we are in bed, one of us is usually alone or we're both too tired to do anything about it." He sounded so defeated and it tugged at Mercedes' heartstrings._

 _"Sam, I-" she sighed heavily. " Baby, I'm sorry. I never imagined that shooting this film would have such an immediate effect on our time together."_

 _"No, babe...don't apologize for that. This movie's gonna be amazing because you're in it and I don't want you blaming yourself for anything. We just... didn't anticipate or plan for the scheduling conflicts that would occur." Sam tried to ease her guilt._

 _"Yeah, and I'm so sorry that we haven't had our date night in two weeks. I'm telling them that I have to be done by 6pm on this Friday. So, we can make plans for this week...?" Mercedes hated the uncertainty in her voice._

 _"Okay, we'll plan for tha-shoot!" He actually face palmed as a thought occurred to him._

 _"What is it, baby?" She asked, her concern genuine._

 _His exhaled in frustration, "This is the weekend I have to fly out to New York for the meeting with Marvel about a possible Marvel-DC crossover special. I totally forgot about that til just now. Dammit!"_

 _"I don't know how, but I forgot all about that." She actually pouted as she thought of yet another week passing without their beloved date night. "Well, there's always next week, right?"_

 _"No. Next week, you'll be in Malibu on Friday and Saturday for that charity event, remember? And Puck's coming into to town to hang with me while you're gone." He reminded her softly._

 _Dropping her head into her hands, she nodded, " Now I do. Ugh, why does it seem harder to find time together now that we're living in the same city-same house, even- than when we had thousands of miles between us?"_

 _" Hey, now, " Sam said to get her attention, smiling when she looked up at him." No pouting, okay? This is just a temporary situation and once we sit down and get our schedules together, it'll be nothing but a distant memory to laugh at."_

 _"Exactly." Mercedes smiled warmly at him._

 _That was her Sammy. Mr. Positivity. She would be forever grateful for his presence in her life, for he often balanced out her rare moments of negativity. She opened her mouth to tell him how much she appreciated his positivity when there was a knock to her trailer door. "Hold on, babe. Lemme see who this is."_

 _She opened the door slowly to find her co-star Michael smiling brightly at her. "We're shooting in five minutes, baby girl."_

 _Internally, she cringed slightly at the term of endearment. It looks like she was going to have to remind him why she only allows one man to refer to her in that way. Michael obviously picked up on her discomfort, immediately raising his hands in mock surrender._

 _"Sorry. It just slipped out. Won't happen again."_

 _"Thank you. I'll be out in a minute."_

 _Closing the door slightly, she quickly returned to her Pad to see her beau's handsome face. "Sorry, babe, I gotta get back to set."_

 _He waved away her apology, smiling at her image on his screen. "No apologies necessary. Knock'em dead, lady. Oh, and babe?"_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"Tell Michael I like him an' all, but he can still catch these hands."_

 _She cringed outwardly this time. "So...you heard that, huh?"_

 _"Yeah. 'Baby girl'? Really? I thought dude was way more debonair than that. Besides, he must not know that your dad is the only man allowed to call you that." His smile revealed he wasn't the least bit jealous. "Better yet, tell him he doesn't have to worry about me. I'll just call Pop Jones and sic'em on his ass."_

 _He was laughing by this point and Mercedes couldn't help but join him._

 _"Alright, baby, go be the dope ass diva you are and kick ass on set. I'll be waiting when you get home. I love you." His tone was serious as he uttered the three words she loved to hear._

 _Her smile was infectious, "Okay, boo. I love you, too."_

Malibu, CA, 1:43am

Now, she sat in her fancy hotel room with her fancy bottled water and even fancier plaque received from the charity event she'd performed for earlier that evening. Truly, she was grateful for this life she lived, and it was a really nice and unexpected surprise to receive the plaque as a thanks for all of her charitable works over the years. However, this wonderful life was worth squat without sharing moments such as these with her boo. Exhaling aloud in frustration, she glanced at the script once more before giving up completely and tossing it across the room. The last time she'd called Sam, he and Puck had obviously been out and about if the noise in the background was any indication. While he quickly excused himself to a quieter area and gave her his full attention, she soon felt bad for interrupting his 'bro-time', as he called it, with Puck. So, while he repeatedly told her it was no big deal and he'd rather be back home so they could at least communicate over FaceTime, she told him to go back and enjoy himself and she would see him the next evening. Taking a glance at the clock on the night stand, 1:45am glaring back her in an angry red neon. Just as she would reach for her cell phone to see if her aforementioned boo was still out on the town, a loud and insistent knock sounded at her door, followed by a softer, more playful one. This knocking pattern continued as she crossed the room and she rolled her eyes upon opening the door.

"To what do I owe the displeasure, Santana?" glancing to the left of her friend. "You , my dear sweet Brittany, are always welcome."

The blond smiled goofily in response while her brunette mate gave a look somewhere between a smirk and a scowl.

"Girl, I'm surprised you answered. I would've bet money that you and Sammy-Sam were getting all kinds of freaky via FaceTime by now. Britt-Brat insisted we at least try to get you out for a little fun after that amazing performance you put on. We were just about to head downstairs to the bar for a nightcap. Come with?" Santana informed her.

Leaning against the door jamb, Mercedes smiled warmly at her friends, "While I appreciate the offer, I think I'm just gonna chill here. Besides, I saw how some of those old men at the event were leering at us and I'm willing to bet my Grammy that they're trolling that bar in hopes that we show up."

The looks of utter disgust that her friends were currently sporting was enough to make her laugh out loud.

"Dios mio. I forgot about those putas." Santana shuddered at the memory. Taking Brittany's hand in her own and giving her sweetest smile. 'Babe, what do you say we raid the mini-bar in our room and have a private party."

Brittany's smile was immediate. "I'd say my wife is a genius. See you in the morning, Mercedes! Tell Sam we said hey!"

Mercedes shook her head at her friends' quickly retreating forms before shutting her door. Reaching for her phone again, she was surprised to find that she'd received a message from Puck while she was entertaining her guests at the door.

Los Angeles, CA 1:43am

"Dude, I really am sorry I was such bad company tonight."

Puck entered the condo behind his best friend, clapping him loving on the back. "And I told you to stop apologizing. There's nothing wrong with being a little down 'cause you miss hot mama."

Sam shot his friend a warning glare over his shoulder. "Dude."

"Whatever, man. Mercedes was my hot mama way before she was ever you lady." His friend chided him in response. This was an argument that resurfaced repeatedly throughout their friendship of nearly eight years. Sam merely shook his head because the response was always the same, and he knew there was no ulterior motive there. He supposed he should be grateful that he and Mercedes have long-lasting friendships with good, quality people.

"Yeah, well, I know you really want to thank me. I saw you texting on your phone the entire time we were at the bar. I thought you said this weekend was a 'girlfriend-free zone'. Clearly, you're missing Quinn as much as I miss 'Cedes."

"And not ashamed to admit it, my man. My Quinny-Bee knows she has me wrapped around her fingers…and I can't think of any place I'd rather be." Puck looked Sam square in the eye as he replied sincerely. Then added his signature badass smirk, "But you tell anybody else I said that, and I wrap your skinny ass around the nearest telephone pole."

Sam laughed aloud at the threat, preceding his friend into the kitchen he shared with Mercedes. He reached into the fridge to grab two beers, tossing one over his shoulder to his friend before closing the door.

"Skinny? Obviously all that time you spend up Quinn's ass has affected your vision. You ain't the only one bringing folks to the gun show on the daily." He flexed and impressive bicep before his friends face.

Puck playfully shoved the offending arm out of his line of vision, laughing as he did so. The two friends ended up seated on patio chairs out on the deck, enjoying the slightly less warm breeze that blew their way from the nearby beach.

"So, how is life in LA, Sammy-boy?"

Sam took a long swig from his beer as he looked up at the full moon shining brightly in the night. "It's great, man."

Puck cut his sip short and cast some low-level side eye to his best bud, "You wanna try that again? And maybe tell the truth this time?"

"No, seriously. This life that I have with 'Cedes is amazing! More than I ever thought it could be and I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's just…we've both gotten so busy over the last few weeks that we hardly get to spend any time together. It's a little frustrating, y'know?"

"Now, when you say 'spend time together', you talking spending time together, or are you talking spending some _tiiiimmme_ together?"

The accompanying eyebrow wag was comical and just so…Puck. Sam chuckled at his friend. "Never change, dude. Never."

"I won't. But don't think I didn't realize you avoiding my question."

"Alright, alright. I mean both of them. I miss just hanging out together and doing stuff. We used to go to the gym together for our morning workout, but her call times are so early, she usually does a quick workout on set during her lunch break." Sam stated. "Don't tell her I said this, but sometimes I play her albums until I fall asleep just so it feels like she's there with me."

"….."

Sam could literally feel the judgment coming from his friend via his silence. "Puck, what I mean-"

"Dude, that's creepy as shit." The shocked look on his face was comical.

Sam grabbed the cushion behind his head and hurled it at his friend. "Whatever! Mr. There's-no-place-I'd-rather-be. You can't sit here and tell me you don't have something of Quinn's to help you sleep when you're apart from her."

Puck's shocked facial expression soon melted into a knowing smirk. "Her Yale hoodie."

"Exactly."

"But that's because I'm usually miles and miles away from Quinn when I'm reporting for duty. You and 'Cedes _live_ together, dude." Puck stated.

"Tell me about it. Hell, I thought when I moved out here that it would automatically fix everything. But between my obligations at DC and hers with the label and this movie…" he trailed off.

"Then you make time to be together, man." Puck said easily.

"We're trying, I swear. We even had a standing date night every week to ensure we made time for each other. But it's just a really hectic time for us both right now."

Sam was shocked to feel his friend grasp his arm and looked up to find Puck's weighted gaze. "Then you try harder. The Samcedes relationship is, like, a standard for our group. You two have made it through nearly everything that could torpedo a relationship and yet you're still going strong."

Sam covered his friend's hand with his own, holding his gaze. "You're right, dude. Thanks for saying that. 'Cedes and I had no idea y'all felt that way."

Puck pulled his hand and grabbed his beer and dropped back into his chair. "Yeah, we don't tell you 'cause you'd get all emotional like you are right now. Enough of this talking about feelings. Now we gotta do something to get the testosterone flowing… you got some guns we can shoot?"

Sam playfully smacked his friend's head. "Dude!"

"Just kidding, man. Sheesh! But for real, I need to do something to wind down before I call it a night. Like, I got this weird energy cause I'm hanging with my bro but I'm missing my baby like crazy."

"Same, dude. Same."

The two friends sat quietly for a moment before simultaneously sitting up in their chairs and locking gazes. "Dude!"

Puck jumped up from his seat and ran into the condo, throwing a "I'll get them!" over his shoulder. He returned only moments later with two guitars. "I knew it was a reason I brought my baby with me." He handed Sam's guitar over while sitting and strumming the strings of his own.

Sam strummed his strings before chuckling to himself . _Damn Glee kids. Gotta sing it out every damn time._

Puck strum a random lick that reminded Sam of a song that 'Cedes loved to her him sing and play. He closed his eyes as he improvised an intro, periodically playing the melody. Puck smiled as he heard the familiar tune come together. Thinking quick on his feet, he opened the camera on his phone and quickly selected the video option. He set his hone on the patio table and hit the record button. Seeing that Sam's eyes were still closed as he let the music overtake him, Puck began to strum along with his friend, _**harmonizing**_ when necessary.

 _ **Don't let me down , don't let me down**_

 _ **Don't let me down, don't let me down.**_

Nobody every loved me like she does

Oh, she does. Yeah, she does…

And if somebody loved my like she do me,

Yeah she do me. Yeah, she done me good.

 _ **Don't let me down , don't let me down**_

 _ **Don't let me down, don't let me down.**_

I'm in love for the first time.

Don't you know it's gonna last?

It's a love that lasts forever,

It's a love that has no past.

 _ **Don't let me down , don't let me down**_

 _ **Don't let me down, don't let me down.**_

And from the first time that really done me,

Oh… she done me. She done me good.

I guess nobody ever really done me,

Oh…she done me, she done me good.

 _ **Don't let me down (wooo!), don't let me down**_

 _ **Don't let me down, don't let me down…**_

Heeeeeee..huuuuuhhhhhh…

Hhuuuhhh…huuuuuuuuu…..uuuuuuuhhhh

Heeeeeeeee….uuuuuhhhhhhhhh…

By the time the song neared its end, they both were so wrapped up in the music that Puck forgot about the recording. The musical chemistry between the two friends was an awe-inspiring thing to witness. The two improvised soulful and mournful riffs as they let the song end of its own accord.

"That was amazing, dude." Puck spoke, almost in awe at what they'd just created.

Sam regarded his friend for a moment as he reigned in his emotions. "Yeah, I was thinking about 'Cedes the entire time.'

Puck's expression softened in understanding, he thought about Quinn as he played. After a moment, he remembered the phone was still recording and ended the video.

Sam exhaled a refreshed breath as he stood, feeling lighter than he had in days. "Wow. Guess I'd forgotten how soothing it could be to just jam out. I needed that. Thanks, dude." He clapped his friend on the shoulder. "One more beer, then we can call it a night?"

Puck nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

He took advantage of Sam's absence to send the video to their respective ladies, obviously sending Quinn's with a special message about what he wanted to do when they next saw one another.

Malibu, CA

Mercedes was apprehensive when opening the message from her friend, thinking it may be a silly pic of him and Sam. Instead, she saw the message: "Missing our ladies", and an attached video . She hit play as she sat down on the hotel bed, not realizing the tears were falling until they splashed against the phone's screen. While the two sounded amazing, she was mesmerized by Sam's playing. He had no idea of how beautiful he looked while playing his guitar. Mercedes watched the video three additional times as she got settled into her bed, drifting off to sleep as she vowed to herself that she would find a way to make time to spend with her amazing beau.


	9. Mine

Greetings, all. I'm back with a little something-something for y'all. I should really consider renaming this series, because the song I'm using is anything but old school, but that's just how my muse works, I guess. Anyways, the primary song used this time is Miguel's 'Pu**y Is Mine'. I know it's a little crass, but the song spoke to me whilst I was sleeping last night and refused to leave my head til I did something about it. I recommend you watch/listen to this live version to get where I'm going with this:  /dLNTLEqwd9Y. Please be advised it's about to get freaky up in her, y'all.

Read on, my lovelies!

Chapter 9- Something...something

Mercedes was damn near giddy as she skipped from her trailer to her car. Why wouldn't she be ecstatic? Filming of the movie was going great and there were getting very encouraging feedback from the public about the casting and potential blockbuster appeal for the film. Besides that, they wrapped a full four hours earlier than expected for the day, leaving her plenty of time to get home before Sam and prepare for an impromptu date night for them. Weaving through the streets of LA en route to their home, she practically vibrated with energy.

Hmmm... what to do with this unexpected gift of time with my boo? She thought to herself. She smiled devilishly as a particularly sinful thought came to mind. Oh, there will be plenty of THAT going on tonight.

She arrived home some forty-five minutes later, after making a stop at her favorite lingerie store to pick up a special surprise for her man. Mercedes was bound and determined to blow Sam's mind tonight, and she would start by preparing his favorite dish of macaroni and cheese with fried chicken and homemade biscuits. Sam always told her that her cooking was better than his mother's, although he begged her to never breath a word of that to his mom. Glancing at the clock in her bedroom as she walked toward her closet to find something more comfortable to change into, Mercedes noted that it was 3:15pm. That gave her a little over two hours to get everything ready. She hung up her surprise, or 'dessert' as she called it in the closet and slipped on comfy clothes and returned to her task in the kitchen.

Mercedes sat before her vanity mirror, humming to the music playing in the background as she applied the last of her lipstick. She smiled as she could smell the biscuits cooking. Almost ready. Ensuring that her lips looked downright edible, she took in her reflection in the mirror. Face? Beat. Hair? Laid. Makeup? Perfectly natural and just the way she preferred it. She glanced down at her cleavage and grinned, knowing that Sam wouldn't stand a chance tonight. I'm coming for you tonight, baby. Exiting her bathroom and heading for the walk-in closet, she was stopped short by the beeping of her phone on her night stand. Crossing the room to pick it up, she saw that she'd apparently missed a call from Sam and he'd left a voicemail. She frowned to herself, hating that she'd missed his call. He must've called while I was in the shower, she reasoned. Hitting play button, she smiled at the sound of her man's voice.

Hey, baby. I figured you might be on set and away from your phone. I hope your day is going amazing and just know I've been thinking about you all day...all day...

His voice trailed off and Mercedes smiled at his words. She chuckled when she could literally hear him shake himself from his thoughts, laughing at himself as he did.

..umm, so.. Yeah. I've been thinking about you Anyway, I'm gonna be in later tonight. We've been getting some pushback on the current story arc- although I don't know why, I mean, who doesn't love Superman and Wonder Woman together? Crazy, I know. I know y'all are supposed to be filming until this evening, so I may get in before you go to sleep. I love you, baby.

Mercedes full on frowned as she stood in her bedroom, her spirits suddenly dimmed knowing that she may have missed yet another opportunity to be with her man. Her shoulders dropped dejectedly as she unceremoniously sat on their bed. Given this news, the heavenly smells that wafted in from the kitchen now only served to mock her. Well, damn.

7:15 pm...DC Comics LA Office

Sam sighed as he read some of the reviews given to him by his PR team.

Superman belongs to Lois Lane!

Wonder Woman is too masculine- why does she need Supes anyway?

Pretty sure Wondy is a lesbian. I mean, come on, Paradise Island has no men? Jus sayin'.

For the life of him, he couldn't figure out where all the negative backlash was coming from. Sure, he and his team had a feeling that not all fans would be receptive to the pairing of the Super Heroes, but some of the comments were downright ignorant. Wonder Woman had to be a lesbian because of where she was from? Superman needs a damsel in distress? Shaking his head, he stared at the email from his execs: Fix this, Evans. It baffled sam how he could go from having their full support to this. Their initial releases resulted in amazing numbers, and if he were being honest, they were still outperforming all other series from their competitors. So why exactly was this making everyone so edgy?

The hardcore comic traditionalists were not pleased with any story that had Superman not madly and helplessly in love with Lois Lane and he could respect their point of view. Lois Lane served to humanize the Man of Steel, making him seem attainable and less...alien. That was part of the reason why Sam was such a fan of the series growing up. However, DC approached him for his ideas on new directions to take the series when sales continually fell year after year. He did his research and the results were overwhelming: more and more fans were growing tired of the relationship. They told him they wanted to revive the dying comic giant and he thought, what else speaks to the masses like relationships, struggle, and overcoming the odds? His initial pitches received rave reviews and they progressed with the story. In the last edition, they toyed with the idea of an upcoming Superman-Wonder Woman love scene and the internet nearly self-destructed.

Sam steepled his hands before him as he swiveled around in his chair, looking out over the beautiful LA skyline. His stomach chose that moment to remind him that he hadn't had much of a lunch. More like, no lunch at all. He chastised himself again thinking about how he forgot his lunch on the kitchen counter this morning. Feeling like he'd led his team down the path to ruin, he sent them home an hour early and told them all to relax and enjoy their respective weekends, that they'd sort this mess out on Monday morning. But he refused to leave until he could at least have something that resembled a solution to begin working with on Monday. Breathing deeply, he smelled something that made his mouth water. His mama's buttermilk biscuits.

Damn, I must be hungrier than I thought. Downright delirious.

Shaking his head, he pulled out his phone, intent to order some takeout from Mr. Chen's down the street. Nowhere near what I want, but it'll do, I guess. Just as he would finalize his order, he heard a light tapping on his door. Frowning slightly as he knew everyone on the floor had left nearly two hours before, he rose to answer the door. Pulling the door open to see who would be here at this hour, his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as he took in his visitor. Mercedes stood before him, a vision in red, with a picnic basket in hand. His eyes traveled from her feet encased in a pair of black heels up to the red wrap dress. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders in soft waves, framing her face as she looked at him with the same amount of adoration.

"Wow." Was all he could manage. How the hell did she get more beautiful every time he saw her?

Mercedes blushed as she hear him. " I was thinking the same thing."

Hearing her speak broke the momentary stupor that had a vice grip on him. He stepped out to meet her, immediately meeting her lips with his own in a kiss that left no doubt how much he missed her. Mercedes moaned as Sam made love to her mouth. Right there in the doorway of his office. Where anyone could walk by and see. Although the thought of getting caught intrigued her, she used her body to urge Sam to take this greeting somewhere a bit more private. Oh, she had no intention of stopping this kiss, but she needed to make sure they were giving anyone a show. Sam felt her moving against him and his hands immediately reached down to grab her waist. His mind vaguely registered the closing of a door as Mercedes' lips moved from his mouth to his jawline, sending a line of heat straight to his dick.

"Damn, baby."

It wasn't long before she returned to his lips and took full control of the kiss, backing him up until he bumped into his desk. He maneuvered his body so that she was now the one pressed against his desk. His kisses became more feral, and his breathing picked up as he could feel himself growing more aroused. Her soft mewls of pleasure did nothing to calm the fire that was building in him. Just as he reached out a hand to sweep everything off his desktop, he remembered that he was in fact at work. In his office. That had a floor to ceiling window. Which they were standing in front of. That was only on the sixth floor of the building. High enough not to be seen from the streets below but not high enough to be shielded from the other buildings. Easing them both back from the knife's edge of tension there were upon, his kisses decreased in intensity until he could physically extract himself from her one-armed embrace. He looked down to see her upturned face, eyes still closed and a look of pure bliss. It took everything in him to fully move away from her.

"Don't. Move."

Mercedes was so far gone, she couldn't have moved if her life depended on it. Her eyes slowly opened as she heard Sam moving around behind her, followed by the hum of mechanical whirring as she saw the dimming sunlight slowly disappear from her vision. Once the sunlight was completely gone, she glanced over her shoulder to see Sam resting his forehead against the now-closed window shutters. His shoulders rose and fell in rapid succession as he tried to calm himself. She saw him mutter words to himself and finally turn to face her. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the bulge that strained against his trousers. She did a quick inventory and...yep. Her panties were soaked. Biting her bottom lip, she turned her head away. Damn, this shit is intense, she thought.

Sam growled low in the back of his throat as he saw her bite her lip and turn away. Whoa, down, boy. He blew ought a quick breath to compose himself.

"Uh... I...uh...the blinds." Shit. Why the hell couldn't his mouth get on board with his brain? Shaking himself harder, he tried again. "You know, everybody wants to be a paparazzi. Gotta protect that image, Miss Jones." His attempt at levity helped a little.

Mercedes chuckled lightly, " That's my baby. Always looking out for me."

Sam was glad for the moment of reprieve, and eased himself away from the window once he felt he could approach her without pouncing on the poor woman. Thinking about the way he practically mauled her, he blushed in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck in response.

"Um, sorry... about.. that... at the door. "

She continued facing away from him as she thought of the part she played in that greeting. "Nothing to apologize for. I wasn't exactly resisting." Her lips curved into a smirk, as she turned to face him. "Matter of fact, I wouldn't have a problem doing that everytime we saw one another."

Aw, hell. Sam was sure the stitching in pants was going to be ruined as his arousal sprang back to life. Putting just a little more space between them, "So, what brings you by? I thought you'd still be on set."

"Well, in a stroke of pure luck, we finished up early today and I thought, 'why not surprise my man with his fave dinner?' , except said man left a message telling me he wouldn't be home til later." She informed.

Sam grimaced lightly, realizing that he ruined her plans. "Sorry, ba-"

"So, I thought, 'Mercedes. You want to see your man, then go see him.', so, here I am and I brought you food. Also, because I knew you would be starving seeing as you left your lunch at home and probably skipped lunch today." His answering blush was all the confirmation she needed. "Mm-hmm."

Walking over the plush sofa she helped him pick out for his office, she motioned for him to wash his hands in his private bathroom as she spread out the food on the coffee table. Sam'm mouth watered again as he was hit with the aromas of the home cooked meal, and he was also very pleased with the sight of her rear as she bent over the table.

"Damn, baby." He said as he exited the bathroom.

Throwing a look over her shoulder, " Boy, come on over here and eat."

"Yes, ma'am." He cooed as he neared.

Straightening up immediately, she turned and stopped him with a hand to his chest, "The food, Sam. Eat the food." She couldn't help but laugh at the look of pure disappointment on his face. "Sit, boy."

The couple shared their meal as they took turns informing one another of the days' past events. Mercedes listened intently as Sam shared his current woes, music playing softly in the background from Sam's JamBox speaker across the room.

"Like, I know we're venturing into unchartered territory, but it's 2015, babe! Can you imagine? Superman and Wonder Woman? Like, that's the epitome of a power couple. Talk about relationship goals..."

Leaning against the seat cushion at her back, "It's just like you said, babe. It's unchartered territory. Bound to be some rough waters, right?"

Nodding in response, " I guess. So, you think we should keep going in this direction?"

"I think you should follow your gut, Sam."

Sam smiled at her response. "You know, I've never said this out loud to anyone, but I think of us and our relationship when I plan out my stories."

Mercedes raised an eyebrow, obviously intrigued, "Really?"

"Yeah. You're like my real life Wonder Woman. You go out an slay all obstacles before you and get what you want. You're compassionate, always thinking of others. And you do so much for others all the time. So, you're my Wonder Woman. A light of purity in Man's World."

Her eyes misted as he continued.

"...and how I felt so out of place for so long until I found you. You calm me and remind me of my purpose when I sometimes forget. Kind of Superman when he has his 'am I man or alien' beacon of hope."

Clearing her throat, she spoke softly, "Remember how people didn't 'get' our relationship either, baby. Maybe that's why your getting so much pushback. Sometimes it takes people a minute to accept different."

"Yeah, and these people are being just as ridiculous now with this as they were about our relationship." The conviction in his voice was startling. It always bothered Sam about the way his relationship was initially viewed. "What does it matter how who we love? Ain't that what God wants us to do? Love one another? Not my fault people are so short-sighted."

"That's why this bothers you so much, isn't it? But, Sam, we're not Superman and Wonder Woman-"

"Except we are, babe." He locked gazes with her. "We are. Everyone is. I mean, except for the super power stuff, we all have potential to do so much good in this world. And if we find someone who feels and believes in that potential as much as we do and can help us achieve that goal... why shouldn't they be together? We deserve it. We deserve each other."

Mercedes took Sam's hand in her own as she held his gaze, fully realizing why he fought so hard for their relationship. Why he was fighting so hard for this fictional one between the two super-powered beings.

"Then you tell those execs that, baby. Tell them exactly that." Her hand ghosted up to caress his face.

As always, her constant support humbled him. Taking a moment to breathe, he turned his head slightly, giving her palm a sweet kiss. "Like I said, my Wonder Woman."

Mercedes smiled at her beau, enveloping him a warm hug. "And you're my Superman, baby."

They remained in the embrace for several minutes, just drinking in the presence of the other. Sam hummed along to the softly playing music as his fingers grazed lazily across her arm and she returned the favor by doing the same with her fingertips across his chest. She turned to lean into his embrace, and they enjoyed the peacefulness of just being together for more than just a few minutes. Tracing his fingers with her own, Mercedes spoke up.

"I've missed you, baby."

"I've missed you two. So, how much longer til the movie wraps?"

Mercedes eyes squinted slightly as she tried to recall the information, " Four more weeks, I think." She could feel Sam nodding slowly as he took in this info. "Also..."

"Also...what?"

"Lisa called me today. It appears Miguel has personally requested I join him on stage for a few songs when his Wild Hearts tour comes to LA. I had no idea he was such a fan."

She could practically feel the side eye and he tensed up behind her, "Girl, stop. Errybody and they mama is a Mercedes Jones fan. Don't play."

Her body shook from laughter at his statement. "Sam!"

"Whateva. You know it's true."

"So, you're cool with that? It could be a few shows."

"Baby, I'm cool with anything that makes you happy. And don't think I don't know how much you miss performing." She attempted to rebut him, but he cut her off her reply, " Ah-ah, I know you're taking this 'break' from all the big tours, but you love to get on stage, baby. And I love to see you on stage. So, this a be good for you until you get back out there."

She nodded in response.

"Plus, I've been dying to go see him in concert. Miguel gets all the ladies panties wet."

"Boy!" Sam caught the flying pillow as it sailed right into his face. His body shook from laughter.

"Just kidding... besides, your panties are the only ones I'm concerned about."

"Mm-hmm. They better be."

"Anyway, that reminds me, that guy Brandon down in graphic design sent me a link to Miguel's show for tonight in Toronto. Live stream." Tapping her hip, he eased from under her when she sat up and headed for his over as he typed in the necessary information, he smiled when he saw the concert venue appear on his computer screen. "Watch this, babe." He beamed proudly as he pushed another button that lowered a screen on the wall across the room, effectively projecting the images from his computer to the wall. He rejoined her on the sofa and they resumed cuddling. "We can have our own private viewing of the show."

Some forty-five minutes later, the couple was completed enthralled in the show, both were beyond impressed by the showmanship. For all his earlier joking, Sam had changed his mind.

"I changed my mind. This dude is entirely too... sensual for you to be on stage with!"

Mercedes had to put a hand to her mouth to stop that full on laugh that threatened to escape when she saw the look of utter shock and awe on Sam's face. "Sam."

"I mean...okay, maybe you can do ONE song. Hell, maybe we can talk to them about building you a separate stage on the other side of the venue. Look at this!" He gestured to the screen, where a shirtless Miguel suggestively rubbed his glistening chest as he hit some particularly high notes, and female screams threatened to overtax the speakers. "This man breathes sex, Mercedes!"

Mercedes flat out giggled at how dramatic Sam was being. "Baby..." She reached out to draw his gaze to hers, looking deep into his eyes, " Fact: You are the only man to make me scream like that. All the sexy I have is for you."

Sam gulped as that all too familiar heat slammed back into his body full force at the breathy tone Mercedes was using. "Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah. As a matter of fact..." Mercedes took his hand in her own as she stood. "Dance with me?"

Sam nodded mutely, completely entranced. His hands found their place dangerously low on her hips and he pulled her body flush against his. Mercedes turned his mind to mush as she turned in his embrace, grinding sinfully as the bassline of a particularly sensual song began to play on the screen.

Yeah, baby...

Tell me that that pussy is mine

Yeah, baby...

Tell me that that pussy is mine, yeah-yeah...

Sam's head snapped up, "Did he just-" His words were cut off short when Mercedes chose that moment to reclaim his attention by pressing her ass fully into his crotch. Fuck.

Keep it 100, babe.

We both know...I'm not the only one...

But when I'm there, you treat a …...

Mercedes reached an arm back, pulling him impossibly closer as she whispered, "Yeah, he did."

...and that's probably why I always come. Yeah...

So lie to me, lie to me, lie to me so sweet. Yeah...

Cause I don't ever want to imagine...yeah

All the other ***** like me, that ever had the chance …

To get in your pants...

Turning in his arms to face him, Mercedes's breath was momentarily stolen by how dark his irises had become. She did nothing to fight the urge to kiss him, moaning as he granted her tongue access to his waiting mouth. There was absolutely nothing innocent about this kiss. Hands roamed, tongues rubbed, and there was a fair amount of grinding as Miguel continued his sensual singing in the background. Somehow, Sam had gotten Mercedes horizontal on the sofa, and was doing his damnedest to make her lose her mind.

So tell me that that pussy is mine, yeah-yeah...

Tell me, tell me, baby... that it's all mine...

Tell me that that pussy is...miiiiine...

Cause I don't want to believe there's anyone just like me...

Sam groaned as Mercedes ripped the buttons on his shirt in her earnest to rid him of it. Now that shit was sexy as fuck. He separated himself long enough to toss the shirt across the room and to untie her wrap dress. His eyes danced wildly as he took in her black lingerie-including her crotchless panties. "Is all this for me?"

Is it mine, baby?

Tell me that it's mine right now.

Mercedes nodded, her eyes never leaving his, " All yours."

Tell me that that pussy is mine... yeah, baby

Tell me, tell me baby, that It's all miiiine...

He dove back in at that. Kissing her breathless while grinding against her center. Mercedes groaned wantonly as his tongue continued things to her mouth that she could never thought possible. She bit her lip sensually as she felt him kiss his way down past the valley of her breasts, taking a moment to leave his mark there, before continuing down toward where she wanted him most. She nearly bucked off the sofa as he wasted no time in getting to work. Sam was a man possessed. The second he smelled her, his mouth latched onto her pussy, flattening his tongue as he French kissed her lower lips. Growling at the taste, he tightened his grip on her hips as he. went. IN. His tongue doing what no vibrator ever could as he made a concentrated effort to bring Mercedes to orgasm in record time. He could feel the tell-tale trembling of her legs as well as her shortened gasps of breaths. Fuck. Me. He continued his special brand of torture as she damn near vibrated off the sofa, using one of his hands so he could free himself from the confines of his pants. He nearly cried out in relief as his dick sprang free, hard beyond all belief. He made the mistake of glancing upward and seeing Mercedes twisting and pulling her hardened nipples as she writhed on the sofa. His hand went to his dick like a magnet, and he nearly came in his hand as she finally gave into to her orgasm. Her screams were like music to his ears and shot straight to the throbbing dick in his hand. He moaned in time with her as he continued to stroke himself, unable to stop himself from snapping the front clasp on her bra and freeing her breasts completely.

Mercedes pulled at him, "Come here, baby."

And he followed weakly, string in amazement as she guided him to place his dick in the vally of her breasts. "Oh, fuck." This was something he's always imagined doing since she first saw her breasts all those years ago and his head nearly popped off as he felt the sweet friction there. He continued to mimic what he would soon be doing to her womanhood, eyes closed in pure bliss. That was, until he felt her tongue snake out and kiss the tip. Breathing became damn near impossible as his body began to seize up. He knew he only had seconds before he would lose his shit and it took every ounce of strength he had to pull away and release himself into a napkin he grabbed from the table, screaming until his throat was raw.

Mercedes stared at him in awe. Her hand lazily playing with herself as she watched him. "Damn, baby. You came so hard."

Sam's face was red and his breathing was labored as he regarded her, his dick instantly hardening again as he saw her playing with herself. Some of his strength regained, he stood and divested himself of his clothing. Once that task was completed, he helped Mercedes remove her own clothing. She continued to tease herself as he stroked himself with one hand while watching her. Glancing back to the screen as Miguel screamed "Tell me that it's all mine", he turned and asked her, " Is it mine, baby?"

She nodded mutely and he leaned forward, pushing the head of his manhood into her opening, smiling lecherously as Mercedes' back arched off the sofa in response. He retreated slightly, running the tip against her hardened clit repeately. She twisted underneath him in pleasure, her nipples standing tall and proud as she did so, and he bent to take one into his mouth, biting down as he pushed himself inside fully.

"Fuck, Sam."

His name was a breathless moan on her lips as Sam anchored himself with one hand on the sofa and using the other to raise her leg as he begin pounding into her depths. Over and over and over again he touched her spot, relentless in his pursuit to give her another earth shattering orgasm. Mercedes mels of pleasure came out in short bursts as he twisted his hips in figure eights, hitting spots she never knew existed. It had never been like this before. This... primal. And she loved every minute of it, doing her best to bring him as much pleasure as he was giving her. She tweaked his nipples as she rose her hips to meet him, squeezing him within her walls. Sam's rhythm faltered slightly at that. Oh. She made sure to repeat the action on his upstroke, smirking when his breaths came in short pants. At one point, he ceased all moment and she took over, twisting and easing him down to the floor beneath him, straddling him.

Mercedes planted her hands on his chest as she began her own series of figures eights, bouncing her ass up and down as she did.

"Oh. My. Fucking..." Sam's words left him in a whoosh of breath as she continued. "God!"

He could feel tears building at the back of his eyes and could care less if he bawled like a baby right there. This shit was on some next level shit! "Don't stop. Don't stop. Please, don't stop."

And she continued her actions until they both were dancing on the precipice. Feeling that she was nearing an end, Sam grasped her hips and helped guide her up and down while simultaneously thrusting his hips upward. Mercedes hands found purchase on the ground by his head as he hugged her around her waist and pistoned underneath her. Several strokes later and it was all over for them both, the room filled with their cries as they came together. Spent from the intense session, Mercedes collapsed atop him and reveled in her weight on his body. Once he could feel his limbs again, he rubbed his hands across the globes of her ass, more to soothe nd comfort than arouse. Mercedes weakly lifted her head, gifting him with a slow kiss.

They lay there together for countess minutes, until Mercedes could feel Sam's body vibrate beneath hers as he began to chuckle aloud.

She looked at him in concern, "Babe, you okay?"

His laughter faded away naturally, "Yeah. I was just thinking I'm going to ask the execs to meet with me in here when I tell them I'm not changing the direction of the story. Ain't shit they can say to bring me down when I know I had the best sex of my life on the sofa they'll be sitting their old asses on!"


	10. I Do Love You

Welp. I am shamed. Shamed, I tell you! I was just checking my dates and its been nearly four weeks since the last update. My B, y'all. I got no excuse...so, I won't drag this out with making up any. The song used for this chapter is 'I Do Love You' (remake) by GQ ( watch?v=YOKq1VmEbtc).

Alright, on with it and please excuse any errors.

Chapter 10

"So I did just like you said, babe. I called them all in my office and told them that I was going to continue with the Superman-Wonder Woman storyline as we previously agreed. Told'em why I felt so strongly about making this happen and that I wasn't budging on it. That it was worth the risk."

Sam's eyes literally danced as he recalled the events from earlier that day. Mercedes paused packing their suitcase as she gave her full attention to him, pride shining through in her smile as she listened to him.

"And...?" She prompted when he paused.

"And they all sat there stone-faced for a few minutes- which really freaked me out. I was thinking that maybe I pushed too far. Like, maybe this was it. I was gonna get fired. Then I was like, 'oh shit, how can I fix this? 'Cause if I get fired, that's seriously gonna delay us getting married an' stuff-"

"Sam. Focus, baby."

Blushing as he realized how carried away he'd gotten, he continued. "Yeah. So, the were all stone-faced for, like, a full minute. Then they all smiled simultaneously. Now, that was kinda freaky. Anyway, they all smile and Mr. Scott stands up and shakes my hand. Told me they were proud of how I stood behind my idea and didn't fold under pressure. They gave me their blessing to keep it going, babe!"

His enthusiasm was contagious and Mercedes allowed herself to get caught up. Jumping from her spot on the bed, she sprang into his arms and kissed him soundly on the mouth. Although she had the utmost faith in her man, when she'd made the suggestion over week ago, she was concerned as to how his plea would be received.

"I'm so proud of you, baby."

Sam returned her kiss eagerly before uttering his reply of, "Thank you for always believing in me."

The congratulatory kiss soon turned into a much more heated lip lock and Mercedes could feel herself being lowered to the bed, her thigh brushing across the clothing on the bed. Which reminded her why they were there in the first place. She broke the kiss and stayed him with a hand to his chest.

"Sam. We have to pack, baby. The driver will be here in less than an hour to take us to the airport. And you still need to change out of your work clothes-unless you want to wear it on the flight."

"..."

She chuckled at the exaggerated pout her boyfriend gave. He could be so silly sometimes. "If you go now, I promise you plenty of kisses when we get to Lima, okay?"

He visibly perked up at the offer. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yes."

"Anytime I want them?"

Mercedes narrowed her eyes as she regarded her beau."...no."

"But, babe!"

"But nothing, Sam. You ain't gonna get me that way. I know you, remember? You're liable to ask me for kisses right in front of my mom and dad. Nah, I ain't about that life, baby." She chuckled as she gave his cheek a sweet pat.

The pout returned. "But your parents LOVE me! They wouldn't mind seeing us expressing our love with a simple kiss."

Mercedes side-eyed her boyfriend as she slipped from underneath him and resumed packing their suitcase. "Boy, you good and well we don't do 'simple kisses'. So, the answer is no."

Deciding to bring out the big guns, Sam stood and walked behind his girlfriend, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing the tender area behind her right ear."Please, baby?" He purposely made sure to drop his voice an octave, knowing she was powerless against it.

Mercedes initially attempted to squirm out of his hold, but knew she was a goner was he laid sweet kisses on her spot. She groaned in defeat, "Okay. But JUST kisses, nothing else."

Beyond excited with the agreement, Sam kissed his lady on the cheek before pulling away from the embrace and walking into their closet to change. Mercedes knew she'd been played and shook her head as she continued to fold items.

"So, which cousin is getting married, babe?" Sam's voice sounded from inside the closet.

Mercedes finished packing the last of their items and zipped the suitcase. "My cousin Mario. First cousin on daddy's side."

Stepping out of the closet in more casual attire and shoes in hand, Sam sat at the foot of the bed. "And do we like the bride-to-be? I just need to know if I should expect any shade from the family about her."

Chuckling at the question, Mercedes playfully rolled her eyes. "Yes, we love Adrienne. They are high school sweethearts."

"Like us?"

Sam posed the question so sweetly, she couldn't help smiling at him.

"Just like us, babe."

LIMA~LIMA~LIMA~LIMA~LIMA~LIMA~LIMA~LIMA~LIMA~LIMA~LIMA~LIMA~LIMA~LIMA~LIMA

Sam gazed out the window and took in the quaint scenery of what he considered his hometown as their driver passed by familiar landmarks in town. On occasion, he would glance down to his left to see the peacefully sleeping face of his girlfriend and she used his shoulder for a pillow. In quiet moments like this, he would marvel at what had become of his life: reunited with the only woman he has ever truly loved, living with said love in an amazing city, and working in his dream job. And it was in these moments that he felt truly humbled. Closing his eyes, he whispered a short prayer of thanks to God for the life he lived and the blessings he'd been given. Once finished, he placed a chaste kiss on the temple of a sleeping Mercedes.

Feeling the car begin to slow, Sam looked up and saw that they were nearing their destination. He smiled as he could see how happy Mercedes' parents were to have them back home. Literally. The huge 'Welcome home, Baby Girl & Son ' sign greeted them as they pulled into the driveway. Sam chuckled when he noticed that his and Mercedes' names were not used. Although longtime neighbors would know whom the sign referenced, nosey would-be photogs would be none the wiser. No one would know that R & B diva, Mercedes Jones, was back in little ol' Lima until she was heading back to LA. He gently shook Mercedes to wake her and waited for her to stir. She came around slowly, opening her eyes to find him gazing softly at her.

"I'll never get tired of waking up and seeing your beautiful face, Sam." He smiled at her sleep-laden voice.

"And I'll never get tired of you doing that, baby."

He leaned down and gave her a sweet kiss, moaning as she grazed his scalp with her fingernails. The kiss would have continued were it not for the incessant knocking at their window, courtesy of Pop Jones.

"Stop all that macking on my baby girl, boy!"

Even though Mercedes knew he couldn't see beyond the dark window tint, she still blushed and hid her face against Sam's chest.

Jones Kitchen

"Baby girl, I just can't get over how happy you look. I'm guessing the combination of LA and Sam might have something to do with that." Mama Jones knowing gaze softened as she took in her daughter.

Mercedes did nothing to hide her smile at her mother's assumption. "Well..."

"How about we just go with 'yes' for now? But we will definitely talk later, young lady. " She smirked, nodding in the direction of her husband and Sam's nearing voices as they brought the luggage in the house.

Mercedes grinned in agreement as she wrapped her mom in another hug, " I missed y'all so much, mama."

Mama Jones returned the embrace, rocking slightly with her daughter, "That's a part of life baby. Growing up and leaving the nest. But just know we miss you more."

Any further conversation was cut off by her father's lively voice entering the kitchen ahead of him, "If y'all are giving out hugs, there had better be one for me, too!"

Sam entered the kitchen moments later, having divested himself of the bags and smiled at the embracing family before him.

It's good to be home.

The couple arrived to Lima on Thursday afternoon, two full days prior to the wedding, yet Sam could not understand why Mercedes packed so much clothing.

"Babe, you are aware that we're only staying for the weekend, right?"

"Ha. Ha. And I hope you are aware that it's the last few days of Summer, which means unbearable heat and sweat. Not sure about you, but I ain't trying to walk around with sweaty clothes because I neglected to pack appropriately."

Sam continued to stare at her until a smirk overtook his features, " Well, the only sweating I'm planning on doing will occur right here in this bedroom. And we can just shower afterwards."

"Boy!" She gave him no time to duck the pillow she launched in his direction. "Can you stop thinking about that for one day?"

He looked at her like she had lost her mind, "Girl, stop! You don't see what I see: all dat ass, hips an' thighs from heaven above, that face, them tasty-ass lips..." He neared her with each compliment his gaze going from soft to predatory as he eyed her curves.

Mercedes wanted to pant at the look in his eyes. This boy would be the death of her, she knew it. She held up a hand as she backed away from him. "Sam..."

"I mean, how could expect me to not think about loving your body every minute of every hour of every day?" He continued, undeterred.

"Sam, m-my parents are expecting us to meet them downstairs for dinner." She reminded him, grunting softly as her back hit a wall.

His smile was downright predatory as he caged her in with his arms, " Yeah, Pop Jones' famous grilled steaks with Mama Jones' potato salad- which takes them about...an hour to prepare." Reaching out a hand, he pushed open the bathroom door. "And we did say we would be down after showering and changing clothes. So, how about that shower?"

Mercedes felt her resolve fade away just as she felt her core pool with heat, "Oh, damn."

1 hour, 27 minutes later

Sam held the back door open for Mercedes as she stepped out onto the back patio, biting his lip as she passed.

"Sammy boy, I hope it's the smell of my steaks that's got your mouth watering like that..."

Mercedes giggled at the look of surprise on her boyfriend's face. Busted.

Sam cleared his throat in an attempt to save face, "Y-yes, sir. Um, you need any help?" He hurried over to the man's side, ready to do anything to change the subject.

Mercedes walked over to her mom and began helping lay the spread out on the patio table.

"There's that glow again, baby girl."

She ducked her head at the statement.

"Just better make sure your dad doesn't find out Sam is 'glowing' you up in this house." Mama Jones laughter was full at the horrified expression on her daughter's face. "Don't worry, he won't hear it from me."

Mercedes kept her face hidden as she continued to place things around the table, mumbling a muffled "thanks".

"So, son...how's the job going?" Pop Jones inquired genuinely as he flipped the steaks for the final time.

"Oh, it's great! Amazing, actually. I never thought I could enjoy doing something so much and get paid for it."

Smiling at the young man's enthusiasm, "That's a blessing, son. Treat it as such."

Sam nodded in reply, "That's the plan."

"And things around the house? Y'all aren't having to do any repairs around the house, are you? 'Cause for what baby girl tells me y'all pay in rent..."

"Oh, no, sir. No real repairs needed. I take care of any small things that pop up around the house. As a matter of fact, I think we may start looking for a house to buy soon. The money I make is really good and I want us to really have a place to call our own."

Pop Jones looked at him with a slightly raised eyebrow, " A house? Looking to set up roots, I see. And how does baby girl feel about that?"

Sam blushed somewhat at the question, "Well, I haven't really approached that conversation with her. Yet. I figure I should propose first, then we can move on to that."

That eyebrow was damn near touching Pop Jone's hairline, "Oh, yeah?"

"B-but not before I get the blessing of you and Mama Jones, and find a ring that is worthy of Mercedes, obviously."

That calmed him down somewhat, "Wise man. So, when should my wife and I expect this conversation?"

Sam placed the platter before Pop Jones to place the perfectly grilled steaks upon, standing to his full height as he looked the man square in the eye, " I was hoping to have that conversation this weekend, before we leave on Sunday...?"

Michael Jones took in the man before him, seeing how much he had grown up over the years into a man who could love, respect, and take care of his daughter. Clapping a strong hand to his shoulder, he smiled widely, "I'm looking forward to it, son."

Saturday- Lima Botanical Gardens

Sam took his seat near the Jones', closing his eyes ashe allowed the sun's rays to bathe him. He breathed deeply and smiled as the scent of the various roses around him teased his nostrils. Opening his eyes, he took in the beautiful assortment of colors around him, from the veritable rainbow of flowers to the equally stunning hues of light to dark brown of Mercedes' family members, friends, and other guests. He could literally feel the love emanating from everyone at the event. There was a hum of energy and excitement as the guests waited for the ceremony to begin, smiles abound.

The hum died down as the opening strains of a piano began to play...

I can't stay away from you too long ,

Even if I do I'll always call...

The wedding party began their entrance, each groomsman walking down the aisle to meet his respective bridesmaid, before escorting her down the aisle to stand in position.

Checkin' on you to make sure you're okay,

Be the one to brighten up your day...

His chest tightened as he saw Mercedes come into view, and his heart skipped a beat as her eyes found his briefly before she continued down the aisle. His eyes followed her as she took her position at the altar and the heat was intense between the two of them as they had an unspoken conversation. Soon. Sam couldn't wait until he was the groom standing at the end of the aisle, waiting for his love to join him so they could begin a life that would be nothing short of awesome.

The rest of the wedding went by in a blur, although Sam just remembered the feeling of hope and love being very present throughout the entire occasion. Now, he sat anxiously as they waited for the reception to begin. He realized his anxiety was a result of not having his lady at his side yet to love on and hold. Sam had always been emotionally intuitive and being at weddings always served to amp up his own emotions. He had absolutely no problem admitting that weddings made him extremely sappy, but luckily, his lady love never complained about that. In fact, Mercedes always joked that Sam would be the first of them to cry at their wedding. Hearing the deejay's voice come booming in, he perked up, knowing that the wedding party would soon be introduced.

Mercedes hurried to her man's side after enjoying the meal with the rest of the wedding party. She was brimming with energy and ready to get on the dance floor. Sam's eyes lit up as he saw her near, standing to greet her with a warm hug when she arrived at their table.

"You look amazing, baby." His eyes dances across her curves in the bridesmaid dress, hands itching to follow the same path his eyes had gone.

"Thank you, boo. And you are looking good enough to eat in this suit." The heat in her eyes left no doubt as to how she felt.

"Kids..." Pop Jones deep baritone reminded them of their surroundings and they quickly sat down.

The party picked up shortly thereafter and the dance floor was packed to capacity. Sam could feel Mercedes energy vibrating off her as she sat by him. Turning to her slightly, he took her hand which caused her to look into his eyes, "Shall we?".

The couple drank and danced well into the night and the mood around them infectious. Love was definitely in the air. Sam was also very certain that his minx of a girlfriend was trying to kill him in plain view of her entire family. She was definitely stealthy about it, though. For instance, there was the way she would make sure they were in the heart of the dance floor and completely obscured to those on the outskirts (ie her parents) before she would grind against him in a special way that left his pulse thundering in his ears. Or the way she would slow dance with him while singing softly in his ear, knowing how much her voice turned him on. Just when he'd decided that enough was enough and they would be departing from the affair early, he heard Pop Jones' voice overhead.

"Alright, youngins. It's late in the evening and we've watched y'all 'Whip' and 'Nae Nae' all night. And what is a 'Quan'? Now it's time for us old folks to show y'all how it's done." He tossed the microphone back to the deejay and extended an arm in invitation to his wife. Mrs. Jones joined him wordlessly as the opening notes of GQ's 'I Do Love You' began to play.

I do love you, ooooh  
But it's alright, alright, aaah...

A few of the younger children chose that moment to exit the dance floor and were immediately and were immediately replaced by a few of the adults from the party, glad to finally have the floor to themselves. Sam pulled Mercedes closer as the song continued to play.

(I do love you)  
(I love you, I love you)  
I love you so right now  
(Ooh-ho-ho-ooh)  
My my baby, hey, yeah

Sam chuckled as he saw Pop Jones pointing at him and yelling across the dance floor, "What you know about this, youngin?" He then proceeded to spin Mama Jones in an intricate two-step as the pace of the of the song quickened. Sam looked around and saw other couples doing similar versions of the step. Looking at Mercedes briefly, he winked at her before spinning her out in similar fashion, then drawing her close again as they moved to the music.

"Hey, hey, now Michael! Looks like light skint knows a thang or two over there! Get it, Sam!" Mercedes' uncle James cheered Sam on.

My baby, I love you so  
And I don't want you to go, no, no  
Why don't you listen to me, ya  
I'm beggin' you on bended knees

(I do love you)  
(I love you, I love you, ooh-ho-ho-ooh)  
My girl, I prayed that your love  
It would come to me  
Someday  
(I do love you)  
(I love you, I love you, ooh-ho-ho-ooh)  
Because I love you so, babe  
You're about to drive me mad  
(I do love you)  
(I love you, I love you, ooh-ho-ho-ooh)  
I love you so right now  
Pretty baby, pretty baby  
(I do love you).

Mercedes laughed in enjoyment as she and Sam practically glided across the dance floor. "Somebody's been working on their dance moves, I see." She teased.

"Had to. Pop Jones wouldn't ever let me live it down if I couldn't show him that I learned something from our old school lessons over the summer."

She giggled as she imagined the dance lessons her father undoubtedly subjected Sam to during those summers.

(I do love you)  
(I love you, I love you, ooh-ho-ho-ooh)  
I love you so right now  
Oh, baby, I love you so  
And I don't want you to go  
No, no, no, no, no, no  
Why don't you listen to me  
I'm beggin' you on bended knees  
(I do love you)  
(I love you, I love you, ooh-ho-ho-ooh)

This. This was what he wanted. The woman in his arms, the love in the air, the family. All of it. Sam closed his eyes and allowed the music to move him, just as Pop Jones had suggested he do. In fact, he was so in tune with the music that he wasn't thrown off when approached by Pop Jones to switch partners mid-dance. Mama Jones laughed as Sam spun her in exaggerated fashion before catching Pop Jones' eye.

"Watch out, old man, I may sweep your wife off her feet."

 **Fin.**

Alright, that's it for now. Just a short update to get the juices flowing again. The song used during the wedding was 'The Point of It All(Wedding Version)' by Anthony Hamilton. Hope y'all enjoyed an remember that feedback is love!


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